Cebrennus rechenbergi: The Spider That Wanted To Be A Gymnast

Welcome to another post of my strange animals series where you get to meet some of the weirdest, coolest, and craziest animals on a daily basis! 

Today's post is about the Moroccan flic-flac spider, a newly discovered species that can do powerful, acrobatic flips through the air when provoked or threatened! Scientifically described as Cebrennus rechenbergi, this is the only spider we know capable of using this type of locomotion. 

Other common names this spidey comes by are "cartwheeling spider" and "cyclist spider". Now, let's learn more about this truly unique creature! 

Cebrennus rechenbergi doing the flic-flac (public domain)

Tell me more about the flic-flacs! 

How about a cool video first? 

The moves you just watched are something you will never see in any other spider.  The only thing that comes somewhat close is the golden rolling spider which is known to passively roll down sand dunes. However, the flic-flac spider is different.

Much like a gymnast, it first runs for a short time to build momentum, propels itself off the ground and continues with a series of rapid flic-flac jumps. Unlike the golden rolling spider it doesn't matter if it's uphill, downhill or on level ground. The Moroccan flic-flac spider.. flic-flacs every ground with ease!  

According to Dr. Jäger, who first described the species, the flic-flac maneuver can double the spider’s speed, from 3.3 feet per second to 6.6 feet. But this comes at a high price. The maneuver consumes huge amounts of energy and that's why it's only used as a last resort when trying to escape a predator. 

The move is so costly that it can only be performed 5 to 10 times a day. Anything more than that will actually cause death! [3]

A quick history lesson

The spider's specific name "rechenbergi" is after Ingo Rechenberg,  a bionics expert at the Technical University of Berlin. Dr. Rechenberg spotted the spider on a trip to Morocco sometime in 2006, but it was in 2008 when he decided to collect a specimen for further examination. 

Initially, the specimen was confused with the closely related Cebrennus villosus, but later research by Peter Jäger of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum revealed it to be  a new species.

Cebrennus rechenbergi doing the flic-flac (public domain)

Where can I find one?

To see on from up close you have to head over the sand dunes of the Erg Chebbi desert located in Errachidia Province of the Meknès-Tafilalet region, in the southeastern part of Morocco near the border of Algeria. Maybe you also want to give Dr. Rechenberg a call for tips. No, don't that, I am joking! :P 

Here's a tip. The species is nocturnal and lives in tube-like structures in the sand, covered by a sandy lid. Individuals emerge only during the night to hunt for food. Want more tips? Just give Dr. Rechenberg a call! Nah, don't that, I am sure he has better stuff to do. 

Location of the province Errachidia within the region Meknès-Tafilalet, Morocco. (CC BY-SA)

How big does it get?

The Moroccan flic-flac is a medium-sized huntsman (Sparassidae) spide . Like with most spiders, males are smaller with a length of  1.38 to 1.9 cm whereas females are 1.9 to 19.5 cm. 

What's their life like?

As aforementioned, the species is nocturnal and emerges only during the night to forage. It's known to feed on moths and probably other insects.

During the hot desert days they chill in the cool burrows they make in the sand, protected from the sun and predators. 

Unfortunately, not much else is known about the behavioral patterns of the creature.

Extras 1# The golden rolling spider

In the beginning, I briefly mentioned the golden rolling spider (Carparachne aureoflava) and how it does a somewhat similar maneuver. Here's a video I think is worth watching, showing it flipping onto its side and cartwheeling down the sand. Jump to 2:00 if you are impatient:

Extras 2# A robot inspired by the flic-flac spider

Prof. Dr. Rechenberg liked the flic-flac spider's ingenious method of locomotion so much that he developed a 25 cm long spider robot called Tabbot, named after "Tabacha" (the word for spider in the Berber language). 

According to Dr. Rechenberg, his invention might one day "be employed in agriculture, on the ocean floor or even on Mars.". 

Here's a video showing the bizarre invention: 

References

1. Biotaxa.org
2. Wikipedia.org
3. NYTimes
4. Upi.com

                                    

 

My dear readers, thank you for reading today's article. Hopefully, you found it interesting enough to follow me, @trumpman, for more weird and bizarre creatures from all around the word!  If you like strange animals as much as I do, here are the last 5 weirdos of this series:

1. Beauty Stings: The Stinging Rose Moth Caterpillar
2. Pacific Barreleye: Meet the Fish With the Transparent Head!
3. Phrynosoma Hernandesi: Meet the Lizard That Shoots Blood From Its Eyes!
4. Sea Pigs: Adorable, Alien-Like, Deep-Sea Creatures
5. Trachelophorus giraffa: The Giraffe-necked Weevil!

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