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Vegetarian Spider Described

Posted by kdawson on from the lacto-ovo dept.

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."

10 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Semi-Vegetarian by lyinhart · · Score: 5, Informative

    From TFA: "The truth is, this spider isn’t a complete vegetarian – more of a flexitarian: it still snacks on the occasional ant attacker or ant larvae." So it's kind of like those people who say they're vegetarian, but "eat a little fish" or "a little beef."

    I'm still waiting for PETA to release some propaganda relating to this story...

    --
    Freedom is drinking a beer in the park when you're supposed to be at work.
    1. Re:Semi-Vegetarian by wizardforce · · Score: 4, Informative

      PETA: Proudly placing animals ahead of people since 1980.

      ORLY?

      --
      Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
    2. Re:Semi-Vegetarian by nmb3000 · · Score: 2, Informative

      http://www.petasavesanimals.com/petaKillsAnimals.cfm

      * head explodes *

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
    3. Re:Semi-Vegetarian by osu-neko · · Score: 2, Informative

      The term vegetarian couldn't apply to a non-sapient animal.

      At least, not without confusing people who lack the intelligence to figure out when people are speaking figuratively.

      --
      "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
  2. Well, plenty of arachnids are vegetarians. by Rei · · Score: 5, Informative

    For example, spider mites. Infestations of them are frustratingly difficult to get rid of. They're so tiny that it stretches the bounds of human vision to spot them -- although their webbing is generally easily visible when infestations are bad. Their mouthpieces are designed to cut open individual plant cells. Since they're not insects, many conventional insecticides don't work on them -- for example, acetamiprid.

    Of course, then there are the predatory mites that eat the spider mites...

    --
    "I'm GOD! Yapple Dapple!" -- God, "Jesus Christ Supercop"
    1. Re:Well, plenty of arachnids are vegetarians. by Rei · · Score: 5, Informative

      To protect the colony from predators.

      --
      "I'm GOD! Yapple Dapple!" -- God, "Jesus Christ Supercop"
    2. Re:Well, plenty of arachnids are vegetarians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, spider mites are not spiders. They are arachnids like spiders, scorpions and ticks, but they are mites.

  3. OLD NEWS by Subverted · · Score: 2, Informative

    This spider is not news... it was last August, but not now... I mean...anyone that knows anything about spiders has known about it for over a year, it was even covered in major publications. Congrats on being late to the party like most of the internet.

  4. Re:Keep Reading... by FrankSchwab · · Score: 2, Informative

    Too bad you big mentally strong human being are susceptible...to brain-sucking parasitic amoebas: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/01/brain_parasite/ Unfortunately real.

    --
    And the worms ate into his brain.
  5. Old News by boulat · · Score: 1, Informative

    Oh this is great, over a year old news
    http://greenupgrader.com/3119/discovery-vegetarian-spiders/