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The world's most ruthless snake has a spider-like tail. You don't want to know what it does with it.

Meet Iran's spider-tailed viper.

The Pseudocerastes urarachnoides or the spider-tailed horned viper should be renamed Tricksy for one very obvious reason: It sports a bulbous tail coupled with some protruding scales, giving it the features of a spider.

Now, what nature's worst nightmare does with its tail makes it one of the most ruthless predators on this planet.

That's right. This venomous viper uses his spider-like tail to trick its gullible victims into eating it. In short: Using fake food to lure real food. Nice.

This species of snake was discovered in 2006 by a group of researchers in Iran. What had blown their minds was the manner in which the viper moved its tail to resemble a skittering spider.

Two things I fear: Spider and snake. IMAGE: YouTube

“It’s one of those things that makes me feel awe in the power of natural selection. The evolution of luring is more complex than contrasting color or simple shaking — the movement is precisely adapted to duplicate prey movement frequencies, amplitudes and directions, at least in specialized cases," University of Connecticut's evolutionary biology professor Kurt Schwenk, says.

The appendages form the "legs" of this fake spider. IMAGE: Why Evolution Is True

This method of tricking prey using a tail mimicking another creature is called caudal luring and it is common among some species of sharks, lizards and snakes.

The Saharan sand viper for instance camouflages itself in the sand, leaving only its eyes, nostril and tail visible. The tail sticks out, giving the appearance of a squirming insect larvae which tricks lizards.

Isn't it a beauty? IMAGE: Laura Ruysseveldt

“Like many other apparently simple things in biology, there is a lot of complexity to caudal luring that has barely been explored. Much of this has been considered in a piecemeal fashion, but a thorough review and synthesis … has not been attempted," Schwenk says.

Ahh nature. So fascinating. And scary.

Cover image sourced from Wikipedia.

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