Spiders are weird aren’t they? I wouldn’t say I was scared of them per se, but they definitely give me the heebie jeebies.
Why? Because they’re small and can kill you. It’s that simple. Anything in that field of work is enough to have me running for the hills.
If you’re not quite on my level I have a video here that might be of interest to you.
This, my friends, is why spiders are weird:
Yup. There you have a relatively heavy-set arachnid making an absolute fool out of an unassuming locust. Actually who am I kidding, the spider is hench AF.
Now, in all fairness, the insect was put before the spider against its will which isn’t a fair fight IMHO but who’s to say it wouldn’t have met the same fate had it purposefully chose to approach the critter?
One commenter wrote in reaction to the video:
It’s sick. That was someones hand leading the insect. I’m disgusted. If they walk into it themselves it’s nature. But with the assistance of someone. It sickens me.
Another person wrote:
I agree let nature take it’s course naturally … but to be hand fed forcing the grasshopper to the spider that doesn’t stand a chance is just wrong … in the video you can see the person’s thumb holding it and forcing to the spider …. how would that person like to be force fed to a swamp of alligators. [sic]
While a third added:
Well not strictly 100% nature, there’s a slight case of human intervention.! Maybe edit the thumbs out next time. Yes it shows how the spider takes it pray but today might not have been that grasshoppers day.! Leave nature to nature.!! [sic]
And a fourth said:
It’s just a garden spider. I have 7 of them and their webs in my backyard. They aren’t poisonous and don’t mess with humans at all. And they’ve kept my yard free of all the other annoying bugs. I love them. [sic]
Saying all this, you can’t exactly blame the spider in case here. They’re predators, first and foremost, so hunting and killing is where they really come up trumps. In the arachnid world, spiders are heavily feared animals – in the same way wolves, lions or sharks are in the mammal world.
Different spiders employ different hunting strategies. Some species build intricate webs to trap passing insects. Other spiders, like wolf spiders, seek their prey out on the ground.
Trap door spiders dig holes, cover them up with dirt doors hinged with spider silk, and lie in wait for passing prey. Similarly, some spiders hide inside flowers to catch feeding insects by surprise.
Source: unilad