Spiders prey upon snakes many times their size

[Eldorado]

Venomous spiders prey upon snakes many times their size, a new study finds – and often emerge victorious against snakes as venomous as they are.

The study researchers found 319 records of spiders killing and feasting upon snakes, 297 of which were naturally occurring events in the wild. (The remaining 22 were staged in captivity.) About a third of those examples came from scientific observations published in journals, while the rest were found on news or social media sites.

"The longer I deal with this problem, the more I realize that certain spiders accomplish such incredible feats," said study co-author Martin Nyffeller, a conservation biologist at the University of Base who has previously reported on spiders eating bats and other vertebrates.

Full monty at Science Alert

[Grim Reaper 6]

 According to a new meta-analysis study, perhaps snakes should be fearful of spiders. It seems arachnids like to chow down on the reptiles, all over the world. The study, published in The Journal of Arachnology, has the straightforward title Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) Feeding on Snakes (Reptilia: Squamata). The researchers looked at 319 reports of spiders feeding on snakes from every continent except Antarctica. Most of the events occurred in the US and Australia. 

The data showed that spiders representing 11 different families have been observed eating snakes. Guess we can add the discovery to our Surprising Insect Dining Habits file, alongside praying mantises eating hummingbird brains. Even venomous snakes weren't safe. The researchers found rattlesnakes and coral snakes were on the menu in the US and South America, and that redback spiders in Australia were known to eat brown snakes.

But all's fair in the animal world. There are plenty of snakes that eat spiders, too.

Spiders are eating snakes all over the world, and it's kind of gruesome (msn.com)