Birds
Birds are the first enemies of spiders among other fauna. Most birds are not averse to eating insects and small arthropods as well. Tits, owls, thrushes, wagtails, flycatchers and common sparrows are especially active in hunting for spiders, taking them directly from the web.
There are species of birds whose diet consists mainly of arthropods, for example, nectar spider . The amino acid taurine contained in the spider's body has a beneficial effect on the development of birds: it improves vision, the quality of plumage and increases tone.
The tit prefers to feed its young with arthropods. Chicks actively grow, develop and endure difficult periods of growing up much easier. The bustard eats dozens of spiders, filling its stomach with karakurts to capacity.
Spiders have their own social lives
Although most species of spiders are solitary, some prefer to live in colonies, like insects. Several thousand of these spiders gather in one place and cover vast areas with their networks. It’s not just flies that get caught in such snares—birds and even small mammals become entangled in huge sticky webs, turning spider colonies into creepy animal cemeteries. But the worst thing happens if a flood begins in places where there are massive concentrations of spiders. In this case, hundreds of thousands of spiders gather on small hills that have not been damaged by water, completely entwining them with a web that does not allow anything living to pass through. A similar terrible spider occupation, when many hectares of fields turned into accumulations of cobwebs, happened in 2015 in the vicinity of Memphis, and in 2016 in Tasmania.
Insects
Arthropods are eaten by many insects: scolopendras, mole crickets, mole crickets and even ants . Praying mantises do not disdain their fellow creatures, not to mention spiders. Some flies parasitize on individuals of suitable size for them.
For example, the subspecies Cyrtidae, having noticed a spider's lair, lays eggs not far from this place. As soon as the larvae appear, they immediately move to the arthropod and develop on it: they feed, and in winter they turn into pupae. Also, some species of mites, such as Trombidiidae and Gamasoidae, can parasitize spiders.
The mole cricket is one of the most dangerous insects for the tarantula. When the spider has just reached the sexually mature stage in the spring, it is still weak and unable to defend itself. The mole cricket, knowing this, without fear attacks the tarantula, breaking it with its mandibles. But as summer approaches, the spider develops venom glands, the situation changes dramatically, and the prey turns into a predator.
For small spiders, wasps pose a serious danger. Some types of insects not only sting their victims and subsequently eat them, but use them as an incubator. Thus, the subspecies Gelis apterus living in Portugal and Calymmochilus dispar from neighboring Spain attack spiders, paralyze them with poison and lay eggs in the body of the arthropod. Moreover, the victim remains alive, turning into a kind of family member.
The growing offspring feed on the insides of the spider, and when moving to the next stage of development, they leave their temporary shelter. The Pompilidae wasps treat arthropods in a similar way. But unlike their brothers, they hunt down a suitable victim for a long time, and after injecting poison, they transfer it to a more convenient place and there the female calmly lays eggs.
Tarantulas can shoot poisonous needles
Tarantulas are large spiders covered in hairs, which make them even more repulsive to humans. There are many legends about deadly tarantula bites, but they are not true: tarantulas are not very aggressive creatures and will not bite unless they are attacked, and their bite, although painful, is no more unpleasant or dangerous than a wasp sting . But tarantulas have another, much more terrible weapon. If you show aggression towards it, it turns its belly towards the source of danger and shoots a bunch of poisonous hairs in its direction - thin as threads and sharp as needles. Digging into the victim's skin, these hairs cause severe irritation. The only way to quickly get rid of them is to use duct tape as an emergency hair removal strip.
Rodents
Small rodents, such as voles and voles, happily consume arthropods as food. For example, Selevinia (the dormouse), which lives primarily in Central Asia, hunts tarantulas. And this despite its small dimensions. The rodent, with sharp leaps, closes the distance with the prey, then begins to grab and bite into the vital organs of the predator with its teeth.
Ordinary voles, with rare exceptions, hunt spiders: only if their more usual food has run out. Nosefish from the raccoon family feed their young with arthropods, but at puberty they prefer to hunt larger prey, because it is much easier to catch.
There are about 45 thousand species of spiders on Earth
The first remains of a spider discovered by archaeologists belong to an animal that lived 420 million years ago. It is not surprising that over such a long time spiders have managed to become one of the most diverse families on the planet. The diameter of the smallest spider does not reach 1 millimeter, and the largest one exceeds 30 centimeters. They demonstrate excellent mimicry abilities - for example, there is a type of spider that looks like an ant, and the pattern on the back of another species resembles bird droppings. Their hunting habits are also very varied. Not all spiders sit in the web, waiting for prey - some attack prey from ambush, others shoot threads of web from their front legs, stopping the game in mid-flight. Most spiders are completely harmless, but there are also very poisonous species whose venom can kill a person in a matter of minutes. So, when dealing with spiders, it would be a good idea to consult a reference book about the habits and characteristics of the species you encounter.
Reptiles and amphibians
Arthropods are the favorite food of frogs, lizards and other reptiles and amphibians . Moreover, for many species, spiders are almost the only source of food. The amino acids contained in arthropods that are beneficial for animals accelerate not only the development of the body, but also promote effective tissue regeneration.
Many amphibians do not disdain poisonous individuals, having natural protection from the harmful substances secreted by the spider. Some animals themselves build a kind of trapping nets to catch large arthropods. Throughout their lives, reptiles and amphibians contribute to natural selection, controlling the population of arachnids.
Never cross the path of a Brazilian hobo spider!
This spider is perhaps the most dangerous on the planet. Firstly, as his name suggests, he does not sit still, but wanders around his territory in search of victims. Secondly, he is very aggressive and never runs away from danger, preferring to attack, preferably first. And thirdly, this is one of the most poisonous spiders on the planet. Its poison is a powerful neurotoxin that causes incredibly severe pain, and in men it also causes priapism - a long and painful erection, which without medical help can result in tissue necrosis of the most sensitive part of the male body.
Cannibalism
In nature, there are many subspecies of arthropods that practice cannibalism, even within the same family. Some arachnids are similar in behavior to praying mantises, with the female eating the male after fertilization. This allows her to obtain the necessary volume of protein mass for subsequent egg laying.
If the usual food is not enough, then large individuals hunt for medium-sized ones, and they, in turn, hunt for small ones. But under favorable conditions, one spider will not consider another as prey. The maximum that can happen in this case is a fight for territory.
For example, an ordinary long-legged hay spider that lives in private houses and apartments becomes practically the only inhabitant in the house closer to spring. During the winter, insects disappear, hibernating and the arthropods have nothing to eat. Therefore, haymakers eat each other, not disdaining even their own brood.
For many people this is clearly disgusting, but some are not above eating spiders. In Cambodia or Vietnam, fried tarantulas are a rare and desirable delicacy. Live arthropods are dipped in rice wine and kept for a certain time. The result is an exotic product with a specific taste and medicinal properties.
In Asian countries, spiders are fried, made into cookies and added to other dishes. In addition, arthropods attract tourists, and local residents are ready to serve them in any form, both on a plate and as a dried souvenir on a string.
Reproduction and offspring
Spiders reproduce sexually, and although fertilization is internal, it is indirect.
Most species have courtship rituals that take a variety of forms, but for some of them it is not customary to court a female: they simply mate without long ceremonies.
In some species, pheromones secreted by the female play a key role in attracting a mate. It is by smelling them that males find their future partners.
Interesting! Some spiders present females with a kind of gift: a fly or other insect swaddled in cobwebs, and the male does this not out of a desire to please the lady, but to avoid death in her jaws.
In some species, it is customary to perform a kind of dance in front of the female, attracting the attention of the partner.
After the ritual is completed and fertilization occurs, the females of some spiders eat their partners, but most males still manage to avoid the fate of being eaten by their partners.
Spiders deal with eggs differently: haymaking spiders, for example, lay them in small clusters in the ground, but most species construct special cocoons that can hold up to 3,000 eggs.
The spiderlings hatch fully formed, although they differ in color from the adults. After the babies are born, the females of some species take care of them for a while. Thus, the wolf spider carries them on itself, and the females of some other species share their prey with their cubs. Usually, spiders take care of their children until their first molt, after which they are already able to take care of themselves.
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Interesting facts about spiders
The European community of zoologists has come to an interesting conclusion. In their opinion, spiders are the most dangerous predators in the world today. Judging by the collected statistics, the biomass that arthropods produce during the year ranges from 450-800 million tons, which is about a hundredth of the total biological production of the Earth.
According to rough estimates, the diet of spiders consists of 90% insects, and the rest comes from animal food. If we compare arthropods in terms of food with other representatives of the fauna, we get interesting figures. Cetaceans consume about 300-500 million tons of biomass per year, while humans consume 400-800 tons of meat and fish: the same volume as spiders.
On average, about 140 spiders live on approximately 1 m2 of land. And in more comfortable conditions, the number of individuals will increase up to 1000 units. As scientists note, there is not a piece of land in the world where arthropods are not found. They can be seen even in Norway, walking in the snow at -10⁰C.
Source: nithome.ru
Range, habitats
These animals live everywhere, with the exception of Antarctica and other regions covered with ice all year round. They are also absent on some remote islands, where they simply could not reach. Most species inhabit equatorial regions and the tropics, in particular tropical rainforests.
They settle in burrows underground, in cracks on tree trunks, in the thick of branches and foliage. They can live in any cracks and crevices, often settling under stones. Many of the species of spiders have chosen people's homes as their habitat, where they feel quite comfortable.
Among the predominant number of terrestrial species, only the silver spider and some spiders that hunt on the surface of the water chose the water element as their habitat.
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Other spiders
Who eats spiders? Spiders! Suddenly? Yes, cannibalism actively flourishes in the wild. Some species can kill and eat other, smaller ones. It is also common for larger females to eat males after mating in order to obtain enough protein for future offspring.
Several species of wasps view them as prey, including Calymmochilus dispar and Gelis apterus. These two species were discovered in Portugal in 2013. These wasps are parasitic, laying eggs inside insects that remain alive but paralyzed. When young offspring are born, they immediately have access to fresh food, which will provide them with the necessary amount of calories for further growth.
Scientists milk spiders for venom
The study of spider venom is required both for the development of antidotes and for other scientific experiments. Therefore, scientists keep spiders in laboratories and periodically milk them to obtain a valuable substance. But milking a spider is not so easy - much more difficult than, for example, a snake. To receive a dose of venom, the spider is hit with a weak electric current. But that's not all. After such an electric shock, spiders often vomit, and poison spoiled by spider vomit is not suitable for experiments. Therefore, scientists have to either carefully dose the shock, or clean the spider's mouth of vomit, and only then extract the poison. This process is very dangerous and lengthy: to obtain 100 grams of poison, the procedure must be repeated from 50 to 100 thousand times.
Birds
A large number of insectivorous birds feed on spiders, including blackbirds, tits, sparrows, crows, etc. For example, tits bring large quantities of these insects to their chicks before they are ready to leave the nest. According to scientists, this bird chooses them among all existing insects due to the fact that they contain large amounts of taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that affects the development of the entire body, leading to increased intelligence, decreased anxiety and improved vision. By feeding its chicks with these insects, the tit provides them with the necessary element that will allow the offspring to grow into brave and intelligent adults.
Different spider bites have different symptoms
If you are bitten by a poisonous insect, help should be provided immediately, but how can you help if you don’t know what happened? Meanwhile, due to the wide variety of spiders and, accordingly, their venoms, it is not easy to identify a spider bite without a habit. Some spiders use neurotoxins to attack - in this case, sweat flows from the victim, the heart beats intermittently, and in some cases muscle spasms begin. Strong spider venom can cause temporary paralysis. The venom of recluse spiders contains hemotoxin, which destroys red blood cells and causes tissue necrosis, which, if not treated promptly, can lead to amputation of a limb.
Amphibians and reptiles
Lizards, frogs and toads are also among the animals that eat spiders. In addition to adults, young frogs and toads also love the meat of this insect. It allows them, as in the case of tit chicks, to grow into strong and healthy individuals.
Hundreds of species of lizards are insectivores and include them in their prey list. Eating these insects by lizards helps control these insect populations.
Even people sometimes consider them as delicious food. In Skune, Cambodia, fried tarantulas are widely sold. Moreover, they are sold there like regular food. Live insects are also drowned in rice wine to create a natural medicinal drink. Spiders are regularly purchased by tourists who visit Scone or pass through it to other regions.
Source: fermerss.ru
Funnel web spider can bite off a person's fingernail
Funnel-web water spiders are native to Australia, which is famous for its many dangerous animal species. They are sometimes called “leg crippling spiders”—and for good reason. The size of a tarantula, these spiders are highly aggressive, especially during mating season. During this time, they run around their territory in search of females and viciously attack anything that does not resemble a spider, including human legs. Funnel web spiders have powerful jaws that bite into flesh with such force that they can easily bite through or even bite off a person's toenail. They do not want to let go of their victim, so the victim has to literally tear the aggressor away from himself. So if you're thinking about a trip to Australia, don't plan it during spider mating season!
Who eats spiders: natural enemies of arachnids
The only creatures that hunt tarantulas in the world are hawk wasps from the family Pompilidae. From this family, very well studied species of the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis (the largest of them reach up to 10 cm in length), they paralyze the spider and lay eggs on its belly, the larva that has just hatched feeds from this egg.
Also, another enemy of tarantulas is the predatory scolopendra; these killers are constantly on the move in search of the next victim.
Predatory species of centipedes such as Scolopendra gigantea, some specimens of which reach up to 40 cm in length, are able to cope not only with such large tarantulas as Theraphosa blondi but also with many species of snakes.
Another representative of the predators is the genus Ethmostigmus from Australia, better known as the thunderstorm of tarantulas among the local fauna.
In addition, scorpions of the genera: Isometrus, Liocheles, Lychas, Hemilychas, as most likely some of Urodacus, are not even averse to snacking on a recently born tarantula, and scorpions from the genus Isometroides are generally known as scorpions that eat tarantula spiders, and they regularly can be found in an old hole that once belonged to tarantula spiders.
Another natural enemies of tarantulas in the wild are large spiders of the genus Lycosidae, and in Australia also the spider Latrodectus hasselti; the remains of adult male tarantulas have been found more than once in its web. And, naturally, among invertebrate animals, the main enemies of the tarantula, as well as other spiders, are ants.
The enemies of tarantulas are also vertebrates. The famous Australian arachnologist Stephen Nunn constantly observed how the largest frog in Australia, Litoria infrafrenata (white-lipped tree frog), caught and ate adult male tarantulas. The same goes for the American aga toad (Bufo marinus), which was resettled in Australia and is one of the natural enemies of tarantulas in Central America. Another interesting fact is that being in a hole with a female and 200 young babies of the genus Selenocosmia, just born from a cocoon, a not very large specimen of the aga toad, “eaten up” young tarantulas (S. Nunn, 2006).
It is also known that small dipterous insects of the genus Megaselia of the family Phoridae parasitize tarantulas; their larvae, as well as the larvae of hawk wasps, grow inside the spider, but, in comparison with the latter, eggs are laid not on a paralyzed spider, but on the integument of a living one tarantula spider. The larva, as it were, “eats” its way to the spider’s body through the elastic cuticle of the joints, and ultimately causes the death of the tarantula. The adults themselves feed on leftover food, tarantula excrement, etc.
The growth cycle from egg to adult lasts an average of 20 days.
These flies are called humpback flies and can easily be confused with other flies, such as fruit flies.
But still, fruit flies are very rare in terrariums and can be distinguished by their red eye color.
It should also be noted that, in addition to the previously remembered species of frogs, representatives of a small group of dipterous insects can also often be found in a spider’s hole.
They lay their eggs directly on the host spider itself or in the soil of its burrow. With all this, the larvae can concentrate in the area of the tarantula’s mouth or in the ground and feed on organic debris.
It is curious that the 3 South American species of tarantulas, Theraphosa blondi, Megaphobema robustum and Pamphobeteus vespertinus, have their own specific species of dipterans.
At home, most often, you can find representatives of two groups of winged insects - humpback flies of the family Phoridae (which are very common) and the so-called “pot flies”.
Most often, “pot flies” are found in terrariums and they are a species of mosquito of the families Fungivoridae and Sciaridae. They are found in the containers of tarantulas with insufficient ventilation, followed by prolonged waterlogging of the soil and its subsequent putrefaction. Another reason for their appearance in a spider’s aquarium is the decomposition, in conditions of high humidity, of food remains and spider feces, as well as organic remains, and as a result, a fungus is formed, which their larvae feed on.
Fans of growing flowers in greenhouses also constantly encounter these insects. And they can sometimes be found in potted indoor plants, which is where they most likely got their name. They are much smaller and thinner than the dipterans of the family Phoridae, have dark wings and are active fliers.
Gob flies of the family Phoridae, they look more or less pointed and humpbacked, if you compare them with “pot flies”, they very rarely fly - only when they are disturbed, as a rule, they move along the substrate with characteristic jerks.
There are several ways to get rid of flies:
– replace the substrate in the terrarium and disinfect it;
– transplant it into a new and clean container;
– dry the substrate, but not forgetting about the spider’s drinking bowl.
We can say that they are completely safe for large spiders, but they can disturb their restlessness. But as a rule, these problems appear when there is good ventilation in the terrarium and using a ventilation mesh through which dipterans cannot penetrate.
But still, it is necessary to take into account that the larvae of humpbacks can penetrate the cocoons that the tarantulas laid, and eat the eggs of the growing larvae, and still grow on weak and sick individuals. Adults can also be carriers of various diseases, incl. and transmit nematode eggs.
Population and species status
It is impossible to count how many spiders there are in the world. Currently, about 46 thousand of their species are known. Most of them are quite healthy, but there are also species that are endangered.
These are mainly endemics that inhabit limited habitats, such as the Hawaiian cave wolf spider, which lives exclusively on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, which has been assigned the status of “Endangered Species.”
Another endemic, living only on the uninhabited island of Deserta Grande, located near Madeira, also belonging to the family of wolf spiders, is currently on the verge of complete extinction: its population is only about 4,000 thousand individuals.
One of the most beautiful and brightly colored tarantula spiders is also an endangered species. It is also endemic: found only in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The already small range of this species has shrunk even further due to human economic activity, which is why it may face complete extinction.
The “striped hunter” spider, which is quite widespread in Europe, was lucky in comparison. However, it is also under protection and has been assigned the status of “Vulnerable Species”.
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The role of spiders in the biosphere Natural enemies, diseases
For the most part, spiders prefer a solitary lifestyle, being impatient with their relatives. They engage them in battle, kill and often devour them. Usually a truce occurs only for a short period of marriage.
However, several examples are known when numerous individuals of the same species live together. In some forms such joint life is accidental and manifests itself in rudimentary form. For example, the nets of Araneus cornutus, stretched above the water, are sometimes so closely spaced that they touch. In such cases, many individuals simply attach their network to neighboring ones, partially using other people's attachment threads. Closer cohabitation, and also for many hundreds of individuals, is characteristic of the South American Uloborus republicanus. In the middle of the huge common network, apparently made by joint efforts, there is a dense plexus on which many individuals, including males, live side by side. And the South American spider Theridium eximium has hundreds and even thousands of individuals weaving a huge common network, which can sometimes cover an entire coffee tree.
Living together at an early age is common to all spiders.
In addition, there are so-called parasite spiders, for example, small spiders from the Theridiidae family, which sometimes settle in the networks of large cross spiders. When the owner takes possession of the prey, they approach it and suck it from the other side. Due to their small size, these spiders do not cause significant damage to the host.
Several commensal insects are also known to cohabit with web spiders. Such, for example, is the butterfly Batrachedrastegodyplobius, which lives inside the large web nest of the social African spider Stegodyphus mimosarum. Its caterpillars crawl very deftly between the cribellar threads without sticking to them. They feed on the leftover food of spiders and thereby maintain cleanliness in the nest. Spiders not only show complete tolerance for butterflies, but also “take care” of them, dragging their prey to the center, where it is more accessible to their cohabitants.
But the enemies of spiders are much more numerous and often noticeably reduce their numbers.
Among vertebrates, the most significant of them are insectivorous birds, which especially often use them to feed their chicks. For example, the bustard eats spiders in such quantities that the stomach of these birds is filled with them; the dormouse also actively feeds on various arachnids and in captivity willingly eats tarantulas. The extermination of spiders by small mammals, lizards, snakes and amphibians is also noted. And some animals devour young spiders or even the contents of the cocoon.
Spiders are also sometimes included in the prey of some predatory insects - folded-winged wasps, moth flies, mantises, bronze beetles and some others.
But, perhaps, one of the main insect enemies for spiders are pompil wasps, which penetrate the hole and injure the spider’s brain with their sting, paralyzing it. The affected spider is usually still alive, but cannot move. The wasp digs a cave nearby, drags the body of the spider into it and lays larvae in it.
In addition, the enemy of many spiders that live in minks is the mole cricket. While rummaging in the ground, she can discover a shelter in which a spider is sitting. Then she starts fighting him. If the spider is small, or it happens in the spring, when the spider is weak after winter, then the mole cricket wins, but if this happens at the end of spring, then, as a rule, the spider wins. In this case, he first braids the entrance to the hole, and only then starts eating. If he does not do this, ants may crawl into the hole, then the spider will be forced to leave, abandoning both the hole and the prey.
In addition, spiders, like all living creatures, are susceptible to various diseases. For example, parasites of spiders are very numerous. Adult spiders and nymphs are sometimes infested with nematodes or endoparasitic fly larvae. However, much more often parasitic insects, primarily various ichneumon flies, some flies and lacewings, develop at the expense of spider eggs. There are also internal parasites of adult spiders - Cyrtidae flies, which, penetrating into the host’s abdomen, parasitize there for a long time.
However, spiders also have quite a lot of different protective devices. One of them, characteristic of large spiders, is the usual threat pose, when the cephalothorax and legs protruding to the side rise towards the enemy, and the chelicerae are wide open. In the tarantula, the movement of the threat goes well with the variegated and bright “threat coloring” on the lower surface of the body, which unexpectedly appears before the enemy.
Some spiders are also capable of producing faint sounds through special sound, stridulation organs, which are formed through local differentiation of the chitinous cover. True, the biological significance of the sounds made by spiders is not yet clear. The assumption that they can play a certain role in attracting females is confirmed by direct observation only for a few species. In addition, in many forms, the organs of stridulation are developed equally well in both sexes. Therefore, the most correct assumption seems to be that in cases where they are strong enough, sounds have a warning value.
In addition, in dangerous situations, some spiders tend to change their behavior; for example, large burrowing spiders are completely uncharacteristic of crawling on vertical surfaces and jumping. However, in a critical situation (for example, active pursuit of a spider by ants), this form of behavior can be realized. The smaller the spider, the more often it uses vertical surfaces at critical moments. The experiments revealed very interesting behavioral elements such as avoidance and jumping. This occurs when the ant and spider come within two centimeters of each other. It is at this moment that the spider sharply turns to the side, continuing its run. If the spider runs at “high speed,” then at the moment it meets the ant, it makes a sharp jump either to the side or over the ant. And in places where ants accumulate, the spider can make a series of jumps. During the fight between the spider and the ant, the spider often even loses its limbs, but this does not reduce its activity. The smaller the spider, the more actively it moves, thereby avoiding a fight with the enemy. (Gridina T.I., 1993)
Also a good means of defense are the hard chelicerae of spiders and venom glands. And tarantula spiders, when stressed (for example, if a person picks it up in a terrarium), also comb hairs from their abdomen, which can cause a strong allergic reaction.
In addition, many spiders have a protective (cryptic) coloration. It is believed that the main need for this is to become more invisible to wasps. Moreover, the females of Araneus angulatus generally have an unstable, changeable color, which depends on the habitat, but the male, running everywhere and not having a permanent habitat, does not change his color.
Other examples of color changing under the influence of the substrate are well known among our common Misumentavatia, which is found on plants and often on various flowers, and the color of different individuals varies widely, depending on the color of those parts of the plants on which they sit.
Diet in the natural environment
Spiders are classified as obligate predators, whose menu includes exclusively small vertebrates and insects
. Arachnologists mention the only exception - Bagheera kiplingi, living in Central America.
Upon closer examination, Kipling's Bagheera is not 100% vegetarian: during the dry season, this spider (for lack of Vachellia acacia foliage and nectar) devours its relatives. In general, the ratio of plant and animal food in the diet of Bagheera kiplingi looks like 90% to 10%.
Hunting methods
They depend on the lifestyle, sedentary or nomadic. A wandering spider usually lies in wait for its victim or carefully creeps up to it, overtaking it with one or two or three jumps. Nomadic spiders prefer to envelop prey with their threads.
Sedentary spiders do not run after the victim, but wait until it wanders into a skillfully woven net. These can be either simple signal threads or sophisticated (large in area) networks stretched to the observation post of their owner.
This is interesting!
Not all hunters entangle their victims with webs: some (for example,) simply wait for the insect’s body to soften to the desired condition. Sometimes the spider releases its prey. This happens in two cases: if it is too large or has a strong smell (bug).
The spider kills prey with a toxin concentrated in poisonous glands, which are located in the chelicerae or (as in Araneomorphae) in the cephalothorax cavity.
The spiral muscles surrounding the glands contract at the right moment, and the poison reaches its destination through a hole at the tip of the claw-like jaws. Small insects die almost immediately, while larger ones continue to convulse for some time.
Hunting objects
For the most part, these are insects of suitable size. Spiders that weave nets more often catch all flying creatures, especially dipterans.
The species “assortment” of living creatures is determined by habitat and season. Spiders that live in burrows and on the soil surface eat mainly beetles and orthoptera, not disdaining, however, snails and earthworms. Spiders from the family Mimetidae target spiders of other species and ants.
Argyroneta, a water spider, specializes in aquatic insect larvae, fish fry and crustaceans. Spiders from the genus Dolomedes, which inhabit wet meadows and swamps, eat approximately the same thing (small fish, larvae and tadpoles).
The most interesting “dishes” are included in the menu of tarantula spiders:
- small birds;
- small rodents;
- arachnids;
- insects;
- fish;
- amphibians.
Young snakes often appear on the table of the Brazilian tarantula Grammostola, which the spider devours in huge quantities.
Nutrition method
It has been proven that all arthropods demonstrate an arachnid (extraintestinal) type of nutrition. The spider has everything adapted for consuming liquid food, from the filtering device of the pre-oral cavity and pharynx, the narrowed esophagus and ending with a powerful sucking stomach.
Important!
Having killed the victim, the spider tears and crushes it with its jaws, releasing digestive juice inside, designed to dissolve the insides of the insect.
At the same time, the spider sucks up the protruding liquid, alternating between eating and injecting juice. The spider does not forget to turn the corpse over, processing it from all sides until it turns into a dried mummy.
Spiders that attack insects with hard cover (for example, beetles) pierce their articular membrane with chelicerae, usually between the chest and head. Digestive juice is injected into this wound, and the softened contents are sucked out from there.
The biggest spider on the planet runs damn fast
Until 2001, the goliath tarantula was considered the largest spider in the world. But in 2001, in the jungles of Laos, scientists discovered an even larger species, called the “giant huntsman spider.” Its length exceeds 30 centimeters! In addition to its size, it is known for its incredible speed: thanks to its long legs, it runs much faster than ordinary spiders. He is not overly aggressive, but if he decides that you are attacking him, he will not run away, but instead will move towards you (running!) or jump from the ceiling onto your shoulders. Most likely, the impressions received from such an attack will haunt you for the rest of your life.
How do domestic and wild spiders feed?
Arachnids do not have complete digestive organs. The food is digested from the outside, after which the arthropod absorbs the liquid mass through the mouth. There are no teeth in the mouth either. Chelicerae and pedipalps, similar to tentacles, help crush and grind food. Some spiders are only able to suck up liquid food, while others crush the shell and bite through the skin. The pigtail eats the victim entirely.
Amphibians and rodents take longer to digest. The predator eats a mouse, snake, or frog gradually, turning it in different directions, constantly injecting a new portion of saliva. You can see how spiders eat flies in the video below.
The predator's diet depends on its habitat. An arthropod can go without food for about a month. If there are a large number of insects, it feeds once every 7-10 days. Some members of the family are so “greedy” that they do not crawl to the side until they leave only a shell or an empty space from the victim. In other cases, they leave the prey in reserve.
