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Vegetarian Spider Described

Smivs writes with word on a spider, Bagheera kiplingi, that dines almost exclusively on plants. "The recently described species of jumping spider, discovered by researchers from Villanova and Brandeis Universities, dines on the protein rich tips of acacias, the thorny shrubs found in much of Central America. ... The species of acacia... favored by the Bagheera kiplingi has protein-rich leaf tips and nutritious sap to reward its [symbiotic ant] protectors. ... The Bagheera kiplingi has essentially evolved to steal from the mouths of the ants. These agile, inquisitive jumping spiders can leap up to 50 times their own body lengths... Competition for prey in the spider world is fierce. The Bagheera kiplingi's ancestors took the reflexes evolved for hunting and adapted into a creature that uses them for ant evasion."

12 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Semi-Vegetarian by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm still waiting for PETA [peta.org] to release some propaganda relating to this story...

    They are too busy berating President Obama for murdering that poor innocent housefly.

    PETA: Proudly placing animals ahead of people since 1980.

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  2. writes on a spider by emeraldemon · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Smivs writes with word on a spider..." My first thought when reading this was "What kind of computer is a spider?" followed by "Why isn't he using Open Office?"

  3. Keep Reading... by swanzilla · · Score: 5, Funny
    FTA:

    Plesiometa Argyra is a fairly common fly and mosquito catching spider in Costa Rica. Every day of its 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.

    Unfortunately, one must read about a boring vegetarian spider to find out that there exists something as mind-blowing as a zombie spider

  4. Re:You don't make friends with salad by some_guy_88 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hey! I resent that.

  5. Re:You don't make friends with salad by bennomatic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Once a friend of mine were having a lobster dinner, which came with access to the salad bar. I was getting up to get my salad and asked if he was coming, too, and he said:

    "Salad is what food eats."

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  6. Re:You don't make friends with salad by bennomatic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hey, are you two friends or something? Quit showing off your social skills! Makes the rest of us feel bad.

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  7. Re:Well, plenty of arachnids are vegetarians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Their webs are for energy production only. They are peaceful spiders. Really.

  8. Re:You don't make friends with salad by Joe+Snipe · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow an atheist monk vegetarian! Let us know if you ascend.

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  9. Re:Semi-Vegetarian by dakameleon · · Score: 4, Funny

    They just don't eat cows. No need to label that!

    Err, how about "Hindu"?

    (and before I get the brigade marching in here claiming all manner of insults, I'm Hindu).

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  10. Re:You don't make friends with salad by BrotherBeal · · Score: 3, Funny

    So... are your friends vegetables or are you taking the couch potato metaphor a little too seriously?

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  11. Re:Well, plenty of arachnids are vegetarians. by ignavus · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they are vegetarians, why do they make webs?

    So they can have websites?

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  12. Re:Well, plenty of arachnids are vegetarians. by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sort of a "metro-insectual?" (Buh duh BUH!)

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