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Spiders Eat Up to 800 Million Tons of Prey


Claire.

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Spiders eat 400-800 million tons of prey every year.

It has long been suspected that spiders are one of the most important groups of predators of insects. Zoologists at the University of Basel and Lund University in Sweden have now shown just how true this is - spiders kill astronomical numbers of insects on a global scale. The scientific journal The Science of Nature has published the results.

With more than 45,000 species and a population density of up to 1,000 individuals per square meter, spiders are one of the world's most species-rich and widespread groups of predators. Due to their secretive lifestyle - many spiders are nocturnal or live well camouflaged in vegetation - it was previously difficult to demonstrate their ecological role, but zoologists at the University of Basel and Lund University (Sweden) have now used calculations to conclude that spiders indeed have an enormous ecological impact as natural enemies of insects.

Read more: Phys.org

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That is an incredible amount of insects.

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5 minutes ago, northylee123 said:

I don't understand this figure because humans eat 250 million tonnes of meat alone a year

what has that to do with how much spiders eat?

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Good article, great read.

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global population weight of spiders 25million tons..:lol:  

They are amazing animals. The idea of an animal setting a trap for another by constructing a complex web and lurking in the shadows... waiting to pounce...how cool is that!  The engineering involved in some of these webs is remarkable as well..the ability alone to do this is an evolutionary marvell

Jumping spiders are quite common and I have photographed them at home for fun.....many different varieties

 

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On 16/03/2017 at 3:06 AM, khol said:

global population weight of spiders 25million tons..:lol:  

They are amazing animals. The idea of an animal setting a trap for another by constructing a complex web and lurking in the shadows... waiting to pounce...how cool is that!  The engineering involved in some of these webs is remarkable as well..the ability alone to do this is an evolutionary marvell

Jumping spiders are quite common and I have photographed them at home for fun.....many different varieties

 Did you take that photo khol?

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9 minutes ago, Merc14 said:

 Did you take that photo khol?

No I can't take credit for that..B)   whats great about digital photography nowadays is anyone with a decent camera can snap shots like this..then instantly  zoom in on computer and have a real good look at the animal. Later you can crop and do what you need. Not like the ol'days with the 35mm's . I use to have rolls and rolls of film laying around waiting to get sent off and developed....photography is a much more user friendly hobby these days and for shots like this you don't even have to leave the yard! :)

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23 hours ago, Merc14 said:

Wow, that is truly amazing.  Imagine if we didn't have spiders!?!

Yes it is Merc. However they aren't hungry enough as there are still too many insects to bug us.

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Considering the chemical warfare on insects in orchards, vineyards and grain farms...etc.. amazing there is still a good supply for spiders

Ever watch a 'live' mating dance of spiders? Films show this.. seeing it live is unique... the little male runs in and out of they before being consumed..

Having a 4 inch Tarantula walk around ones' body is Very Interesting..

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Cool story, cooler looking spider.

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Except for those jumping spiders, which actually manage to be cute, I have to hold myself back from saying kill it with fire. That said, I understand how important they are. As terrifying as I find them, I don't kill any. I make sure they get a safe trip outside. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Spiders could theoretically eat every human on earth in one year

The appetite of the tiny beasts had two European biologists wondering: How much food does the entire spider population eat in a single year?

Martin Nyffeler and Klaus Birkhofer published their estimate in the journal the Science of Nature in early March. They found that all the spiders in the world consume somewhere between 400 million and 800 million tons of prey in any given year.

That's pretty disturbing. But what's even more disturbing? The amount of "meat" is equivalent to that of all 7 billion humans on the planet combined.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/03/28/spiders-could-theoretically-eat-every-human-on-earth-in-one-year/22015943/


 

 

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Key word there is 'thereotically'....

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Well they'd only be getting their own back... 

1ad883c24815d799515043789bd29548.jpg

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Good Grief...Spiders do not eat humans. However...Spiders do eat insects.

So, let's all just imagine how many insects we'd have to deal with if all the spiders went 'bye-bye' Now there you'd have a horrifying scenario.

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On 3/19/2017 at 10:37 AM, ChaosRose said:

Except for those jumping spiders, which actually manage to be cute, I have to hold myself back from saying kill it with fire. That said, I understand how important they are. As terrifying as I find them, I don't kill any. I make sure they get a safe trip outside. 

 

Ok, this one is kinda cute.

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Spiders are the best

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