A spider that dines almost exclusively on plants has been described by scientists.
It is the first-known predominantly vegetarian spider; all of the other known 40,000 spider species are thought to be mainly carnivorous.
Bagheera kiplingi, which is found in Central America and Mexico, bucks the meat-eating trend by feasting on acacia plants.
The research is published in the journal Current Biology.
The jumping arachnid, which is 5-6mm long, has developed a taste for the tips of the acacia plants - known as Beltian bodies - which are packed full of protein.
I wouldn't mint having a spider like this. I wounder if this spider is venomous.
ReplyDeleteIm Going to get me a vegetarian spider...i never thought i would hear that a spider is vegetarian...but they found it...i wanna know who found it and why were they at the place they were to discover this spider.
ReplyDeletethis is not a surprise to me i always knew there was a vegetarian spider it was just unknown to most pple.
ReplyDeleteGood question about the venom. I'm not sure how venomous it is, but it certainly is somewhat venemour. They found this in the jungles of Central America. It's amazing work, wandering around a jungle and carefully examinging the most minute signs of life to compare it with known living organisms in the hope that what you see has never been catalogued. Lucky scientists. The spider is not always so lucky. This is from another story on this spider.Check this out:
ReplyDeleteEvery day of the spider's life it weaves a flimsy circular web to catch its prey - unless it gets stung by a Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga wasp. That’s where this spider’s life gets, well, very interesting.
The wasp sting briefly paralyzes the spider and eventually turns it into a zombie.
The parasitic wasp lays an egg on the belly of the spider. When the spider awakes, it carries on as if nothing happened for a few weeks, even as the attached larva hatches and begins to feed on its blood. Then, when the larva has had its fill and is ready to cocoon, it takes over the mind of the spider by injecting it with chemicals that circumvent its web-building routine.
I really like this spider! It's crazy to think that out there in the world there is a vegetarian spider. I say we follow this spider's lead and eat less meat. :)
ReplyDeleteHOLY CRUD!! I read the thing about the spider and how the wasp's larva controls its mind and oh my goodness that is sooo weird and crazy! It's actually quite exciting to think that could and does actually happen. I thought mind control was just something you talk about. Not something that actually happens. BEWARE OF MIND CONTROLING WASPS!!
ReplyDeleteEwww I hate spiders :(
ReplyDelete