ballista

During daylight hours, the ballista spider remains hidden beneath a leaf positioned above areas where green tree ants are actively foraging.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

"The ballista spider's snare is bioengineered to store elastic energy in the silk and rapidly release it, giving it incredible instantaneous power density -- greater than any other specialized silk-based biological catapults," said Professor Narendra.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

Though it is yet to be formally named, scientists have nicknamed the tiny spider "ballista", after the ancient weapon used to hurl stones in battle.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Although many people have identified the scorpion as a type of ballista, it lacks the torsion springs that ballistae use to thrust their projectile forward with such incredible force.

From Slate ● May 7, 2019

He imagined a bunch of demigods in dark robes trying to quietly roll a scorpion ballista through the front doors.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

“Scorpions,” ballistae developed by Hand of the Queen Qyburn, posed the primary threat to Drogon.

From Slate ● May 13, 2019

Although many people have identified the scorpion as a type of ballista, it lacks the torsion springs that ballistae use to thrust their projectile forward with such incredible force.

From Slate ● May 7, 2019

Shrimpzilla must have knocked them out of alignment, and the monster was in spitting distance, which meant that Leo couldn’t use the ballistae without setting the Argo II on fire as well.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

“Second, I don’t think the ballistae will do any good. That shell is like Nemean Lion skin. Its head isn’t any softer.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

“Valdez, how many harmless monsters have we met? We should just aim the ballistae and see what happens!”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan