Design Of The Spider

The Lasoo-Throwing Spider

Of all the many species of spider, one of the most interesting, because of its hunting techniques, is the "Bolas" spider. Dr. Gertsch, an expert on spiders, has established as a result of his detailed research on this creature, that it uses a noose to catch its prey.

Bolas spiders hunt their prey in two stages. In the first stage the spider spins a thread with a sticky end and lies in ambush. Later it will use this sticky thread as a lassoo. Then, in order to attract its prey to it, the spider gives off a very special chemical. This is a "pheromone," which female moths use to attract males for mating. The male moth, deceived by the counterfeit call, approaches the source of the smell. The spiders have very poor eyesight, but can make out the vibrations set up by the moth as it flies. In this way the spider can feel its prey approaching it. Now the interesting thing is that, despite the fact that the Bolas spider is almost blind, it can catch a flying, living creature with a thread it makes itself hanging in the air.

The book, Strange Things Animals Do, likens the spiders' hunting technique to a cowboy throwing a lassoo: The spider spins a silky cord, then puts a weight on one end — a heavy bit of gum. In this way, the weapon reminds one of a cowboy's lassoo. Then it takes the cord up in its two front legs, which now act like arms. When a moth flies by, it throws the lassoo. The sticky, weighted end hits the body of the flying insect and sticks to it. The moth is then roped in and the Bolas spider wraps it up. 1

The second stage begins when the victim, deceived by the smell, approaches. Drawing its legs back the spider gets into the attack position and throws the lassoo faster than the human eye can see. The moth is caught by the sticky ball at the end of the thread. The spider reels its prey in and bites it, paralysing it. Next it wraps the moth up in a special thread, which keeps the food fresh for a long time. In this way the spider preserves its food for later consumption.

In the same book the writer evaluates the spiders' planned movements in these terms:

Scientists call the bolas a lesser creature. Dr. Gertsch is not sure that this is an accurate term for her. Because what a trained sea lion, a dog, or a tiger cannot do, what even a great ape cannot do, what even a cowboy finds difficult - this so-called lesser creature does. 2

It is therefore clear that the Bolas spider's hunting technique requires a special skill, and is even based on gaining experience through practice. If we examine the process stage by stage the difficult nature of what the spider does becomes more apparent. Let us look at the answer to the question, "What does the Bolas spider have to do when hunting?"

It prepares a sticky ball on the end of a thread.
It produces in its body and releases a smell given off by females of another insect species to attract males.
It throws the lassoo at its prey faster than the human eye can see.
It aims the lassoo at its prey and hits it.
Finally, it has to produce a special thread which will keep the prey fresh, and then wraps it up.

So, how is the Bolas spider able to operate within the framework of such a clever plan? Making plans is a feature of creatures which possess the power of reasoning, i.e. human beings. Furthermore, the spider's brain does not have the capacity to conceive all this and carry it out. But, in that case, how did it come to possess a hunting technique with such striking characteristics? That is a question scientists are still trying to find the answer to.

According to evolutionists, spiders owe all their characteristics to coincidences. The spider decided to make a lassoo, carried out the chemical production, knew that it had to attract the moth towards it and came to have the skill to hit the target with the lassoo, all by coincidence. All the other qualities it would need to hunt with a lassoo came about entirely by coincidence. It is obvious that claims based on coincidence are just fantasy, with no scientific or logical foundation. In order to see clearer just how far the evolutionists' fantasies are from scientific fact let us imagine a little scenario, despite all the impossibilities.

Scenario:A long time ago a spider, realizing that it was unable to build webs like other spiders, began to look carefully around it. One day it noticed that female moths were using a chemical to attract males. It thought that in order to catch the moths it would have to produce the same chemical, built a chemistry laboratory inside its own body and began to manufacture the chemical. But its problems were not yet over. Because unless it could catch the moths there was no point in attracting them. At that point it had another idea, and from the thread it produced it made a weapon, a cross between a lassoo and a mace.

But just making the weapon was not enough. The first time it went hunting, unless it could hit the target all its efforts would go to waste, even worse it would die of hunger. But it did not happen that way, and it caught its prey, and after that it "succeeded" in developing a perfect hunting technique. After that it thought of teaching the technique, in every tiny detail, to the other spiders and found a way of transmitting this knowledge to following generations.

These are just parts of a scenario. But is not just enough for the scenario to be written down. The scenario has to be translated into reality. To this end let us consider some imaginary alternatives within the scope of the imaginary scenario.

Imaginary Alternative 1:

his consists of what evolutionists call "Mother Nature," that is trees, flowers, the sky, water, rain, the sun, etc. Then there are all the forces of nature, acting in harmony to establish a perfectly functioning system. In the process the Bolas spider is not forgotten and it is ensured that it comes to possess a good hunting technique.

Imaginary Alternative 2:

Pure coincidence, again described by evolutionists as an active force, comes to the assistance of the Bolas spider, as to all other hunters, and enables it to come into possession of predatory skills.

Naturally, these are nothing but fantasies, the products of an active imagination. The possessors of this active imagination are the evolutionary scientists. Before moving on to the actual answer, let us examine how illogical and invalid and baseless these scenarios are.

- Evidently the Bolas spider is not a chemical engineer! It is not possible for it to study the chemicals released by the moths and carry out an analysis of them, then starting to knowingly create the same chemical within its own body. To claim this is diametrically opposed to intelligence, logic, and science.
- The spider has no other use for the chemical given off by the moths than for hunting. Even if it had reproduced it by coincidence, it would have to understand the similarity between the scent given off by the moths and its own scent. Then, analysing this resemblance it would have to have the intelligence to make use of it in its own interest.
- Even if we accept that the spider had in some way "learned" about the nature of the scent given off by the moths and had been "clever enough" to use this in its own favour, then it has to be able to make the necessary physical changes to produce that material. It is not possible for any living creature, of its own volition, to add an extra organ or chemical production system to its own body. Even thinking that a spider might be capable of doing such a thing, let alone actually claiming it as fact, means leaving the realms of logic far behind.

No matter how impossible, let us imagine that the spider did actually come to have all these characteristics we have discussed by coincidence. Now it is necessary for the spider to have "thought of" using a lassoo to catch the moths and after "designing" it to be able, of its own volition, to create it.

It is clear from this that when one carefully examines the characteristics of the Bolas spider, one gets a better understanding of just how comic the claim of the theory of evolution, completely based on coincidences, is. That coincidences will be unable to bring the spider into possession of the features we have discussed above, that is, intelligence, planning and tactics, and, furthermore, that even with time the spider will be unable to bring these about itself, is clear. There is no need to think long and hard or to do research in order to grasp this. Using a bit of common sense will be enough to see this obvious truth.

It follows that the evolutionists' scenarios are blatantly false. All that is left is the truth: The situation we are discussing needs a very special act of creation. It is God Who created all living creatures, plants, animals, and insects.

Article courtesy of www.DesignandUniverse.com

NOTES: 1. Gardner Soul, Strange Things Animals Do, G.P.Putnam's Son, New York, 1970, p. 89

2. Gardner Soul, Strange Things Animals Do, G.P.Putnam's Son, New York, 1970, p. 90

The Bolas spider catches its prey with the sticky balls seen in this picture.

Because Bolas spiders throw their lassoos faster than the human eye can see, it required a special technique to take this picture.

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