Today I witnessed a spider killing a fly... Well, it wasn't really a fly, but that made me feel no less stressed. The very case when happiness is in ignorance ... At some point, I even regretted a little that I diligently taught biology. Probably, this will seem uninteresting nonsense to someone, but I will nevertheless describe exactly how this process takes place (otherwise I will not get rid of stress).
In fact, few people think about how cruel nature really is. This is because, as a rule, the most bloody moments are cut out in the programs of the BBC and the like. Although if one day a vegetarian stumbled upon a program without such censorship (and I once "lucky" to stumble upon such, although I am not a vegetarian), the thought of this kind of (however softer) eating disorder would evaporate completely. The process of killing takes place in such a creepy way that compared to this man with his gun and even a knife, it's just "Are you kidding? It's not even serious!".
But back to the stated topic of the post. Spider and fly. An ordinary small house spider wove a cobweb outside my window. This web, as one would expect, was caught by a stray fly flying by. Crazy - because it seems that these creatures do not look at all where they are flying. This particular fly, if not for the web, would have crashed into the window frame. Everything is as it should be - the insect sticks to the web and starts kicking rather sluggishly. The fly has no chance to escape: the web is 5 times stronger than steel. Well, the spider, of course, is not a fool, he runs up to the victim right there, starts to wrap it up. Mainly paws *for some reason front* and wings. I must say that this particular spider did not try very hard ... What happens next. The spider bites the fly and calmly moves away. This is where the most PPC happens. Reading is one thing, seeing is quite another. The spider's mouth apparatus does not allow it to chew food, so the spider injects a digestive enzyme along with the poison into the victim, which dissolves the insides of the insect to the state of broth (which allows all this appetizing mass to be sucked in later). That's what it says in textbooks. In fact, some time after the bite, the fly begins to desperately wriggle, writhe, even manages to free its front paws. With those sluggish attempts to free himself, which were observed before, this action cannot be compared. The process of external digestion takes about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the spider realized that apparently, you can bite the fly one more time. He walks up to her again, bites her again and backs off again. The agony continues for another five minutes, finally, the fly gives up the ghost. After waiting some more time, the spider approaches her, disconnects the threads to which the fly has stuck, and drags her into a secluded gap. A curtain.

By the way, not everything always ends so sadly. I remember the moment when a wasp of the same impressive size got into the net of another very impressive house spider. The wasp did not want to surrender without a fight. And, although she could not free herself, she tightly clung to the leg of the eight-eyed hunter. The spider did not expect such a trick - it turned out that he could not bite her, and leave too. He, apparently, was already glad to leave, but no ... Then my grandfather noticed them, who, without waiting for the denouement, threw his rivals out the window ... True, the spider had to tear off its paw, because the wasp was in it " has grown."

The risk of writing an article about spiders and their terrifying relatives is that while studying information about these creatures, deep down you will constantly want to throw a slipper at the monitor, and not read, let alone watch photos and videos. After all, all these terrible and disgusting arachnids want to do is eat your face. Yes, yes, it is your face, dear reader. But if you can shake off the feeling of fear and disgust, you will know that these small insects actually have remarkable intelligence and sociability. But among them, of course, there are several that are the definition of the word "horror", so you can not put your slipper far away.

10. Males eating females

Many of us have heard that female spiders sometimes eat males. This makes more sense - the male loses any chance of breeding in the future, but the female, who received a good meal, is more likely to carry eggs before the young are born. The spider species Micaria sociabilis turns this concept on its head, as 20 percent of matings end with the male eating the female. However, this species of spider is not the only one showing this behavior, but there is no obvious explanation for it.

Researchers in the Czech Republic hoped to find an answer by noting which females end up being eaten. Micaria sociabilis produce two generations of young each year, one in spring and one in summer. When males were with females from both groups, they were more likely to eat older females and release their younger mates. Using older females for food to increase their chances of mating with younger females is a strategy that seems to work, as younger females are more likely to raise offspring.

9. Matriphagy


Given the black widow's bad reputation, any spider with the word "black" in its name immediately makes us wary. The black weaver of the species Amaurobius ferox is no exception - it has a very unflattering way of being born. When little spiders hatch from the eggs of this species, the mother encourages them to eat her alive. When nothing is left of her, they climb onto her web and hunt in groups of 20 individuals, killing prey 20 times their size. Young spiders also ward off predators by contracting their bodies at the same time, giving the impression of a pulsating web.

Another spider that devours its mother is the Stegodyphus lineatus spider. Newborn spiders of this species live for some time, feeding on the liquid that their mother regurgitates for them. They end up liquefying her organs and drinking them - and they do it with her permission.

8. Family life


Photo: Acrocynus

Common names for arachnids are often depressingly incorrect. Phrynes, or as they are also known as bugle-legged spiders, are not spiders. They belong to a completely different order of arachnids. These eight-legged creatures resemble some kind of spider-scorpion hybrid, but with whips. If this image does not make you want to embrace these creatures, let me introduce you to the inhabitant of the state of Florida - the species Phrynus marginemaculatus, as well as the inhabitant of Tanzania - Damon diadema.

Researchers at Cornell University have found that these types of phrynes like to live together in family groups. The mother and her grown cubs got together again after they were separated by scientists. The groups act aggressively towards strangers and spend their time constantly petting and grooming each other. Scientists think cohabitation may well help these arachnids ward off predators and allow mothers to protect their broods.

7. Fatherly care


And how do spider fathers help their children? Of course, there are those who offer themselves as a dinner to the mother of their future children. But this is a choice for lazy people. Fathers of tropical harvestmen are actively involved in raising offspring: they take on the role of nest guards as soon as the female lays eggs. Without fathers to protect them, the eggs would simply not hatch. The fathers drive the ants away, repair the nest, and clean up the mold—sometimes within months.

This method is suitable for males for several reasons. First, in this way, they impress the females and win their favor. The male can look after the clutches of 15 females at the same time. The scientists also found that males who care for their offspring have a much higher chance of survival than careless dads. Perhaps this is because their stationary position keeps them from encountering animals that love to prey on spiders, in addition, females take care to leave slime around their nests and, accordingly, the male, which helps drive predators away from the nest.

6. Distribution of tasks depending on the characteristics of the character


Speaking of the genus of spiders known as Stegodyphus, one cannot ignore a special kind of arachnid known as Stegodyphus sarasinorum. Although they also liquefy their mother's innards and drink them, they also have an interesting characteristic. They live in colonies, in which tasks are distributed in accordance with the nature of this or that individual. Scientists tested the aggression and courage of spiders by touching them with sticks or with the help of wind blows. They marked the spiders with multicolored markings to track individual spiders. The scientists then allowed the spiders to organize their colony.

After that, the team decided to run a test to determine which of the spiders would come out to examine which floundering insects were stuck in their webs. Spiders respond to the vibrations that pass through the web when insects twitch in it. Shaking the web with your hand would create exorbitant vibrations, so scientists used an electrical device specifically tuned to create certain vibrations. The little pink device is called Minivibe Bubbles. What these devices were originally intended for - guess for yourself.

The scientists found that those that ran after prey were those that had previously shown a more aggressive nature. This is quite understandable, and such a division of duties can bring to the colony the same benefit that the division of labor brings to our society.

5. Courtship in the most appropriate way


Male wolf spiders put a lot of effort into making a good first impression on ladies. The key to success with them, as with humans, is effective communication. Several independent studies have shown how male wolf spiders alter the way they signal potential mates for maximum effect.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati placed male wolf spiders on rocks, on the ground, on wood, and on leaves, and found that their signaling vibrations were most effective when they were standing on leaves. During a second set of tests, they gave the spiders a choice and found that wolf spiders spent more time signaling on leaves than on other materials. In addition, when males were on less than ideal surfaces, they relied less on vibrations and paid more attention to visual effects such as raising their legs.

However, changing the method of communication is not the only trick that wolf spiders have hidden up their eight sleeves. Scientists from Ohio State University noticed that male wolf spiders in the wild tried to imitate their competitors in order to be more successful with the ladies. To test this theory, scientists captured several wild male wolf spiders and showed them a video of another male wolf spider doing a mating dance. Caught males immediately copied it. This ability to copy and act on what is seen is a complex behavior that is quite rare among small invertebrates.

4. Interspecific societies


Social spiders, that is, those that live in colonies, are quite rare. However, the scientists found a colony of two spider species living together. Both spiders belonged to the genus Chikunia, which makes them as close relatives as wolves are related to coyotes or modern humans to Homo erectus. Lena Grinsted, a Danish researcher, discovered the unusual settlement when she was conducting experiments to see if females would reliably protect the broods of other females of their own species.

It soon became clear that there were two kinds of spiders in the colony she was studying. The discovery was made after conducting genetic analysis and studying the difference in the genitalia of different species. The benefits of cohabitation have not been elucidated, as neither species has something that the other species needs. They do not hunt together and cannot interbreed. The only possible advantage is the mutual care of the offspring, since the females of both species are happy to look after the broods, regardless of their species.

3. Selective aggression


Most of the arachnids on this list that live in colonies usually hunt in groups. The orb-web spider living in a colony does not fit this pattern of behavior. These spiders live in colonies but hunt alone. During the daytime, hundreds of spiders relax in a central web suspended between trees and bushes with a huge amount of threads. At night, when hunting time comes, spiders build their own webs on long threads in order to catch insects.

When one spider has chosen a place and built his web, he does not intend to tolerate the presence of other spiders trying to take advantage of the fruit of his efforts. If another member of the colony approaches, the web builder jumps on it to scare away the intruder. Usually such border violators understand what's going on and go to another site to build their web - but everything changes if all the good places are already taken.

If there is no space around to weave their own webs, webless orbweb spiders will ignore the web builder's irritable jumps and remain on its web. The web builder will not attack, and an uninvited guest can usually catch his own dinner, taking advantage of the efforts of his fellow. However, they never fight because it's not worth it - threatening jumps are more of a friendly "have you looked elsewhere" question?

2. Gifts and tricks


When a male Pisaurid spider spots a female he would like to mate with, he tries to impress her with a gift. Usually the gift is a dead insect, which is proof that he knows how to get food (and, accordingly, can pass on good genes). Males even wrap their gifts, although they lose a lot by not learning how to make a bow out of their silky web. On average, non-gifting males mate 90 percent less than their generous counterparts.

Sometimes it is very difficult to get a tasty fly, or it can be so tasty that the male himself wants to eat it before he has a chance to give it to his beloved. In this case, it will simply wrap an empty insect corpse, or any piece of trash of a similar size that is lying around. This works quite often, and males who give fake gifts mate many more times than those who do not give them anything. However, females quickly figure out the deception and give unscrupulous boyfriends less time to leave their sperm in them than those males who brought edible gifts.

1The blood-drinking spider that loves dirty socks


Evarcha culicivora, also known as the "vampire spider", is a rather unusual creature. It gets its name from the fact that it glistens in the sun and... oh no, apparently it gets its name from the fact that it likes to drink human blood. Although it certainly sounds terrible, one of the most interesting features of the spider is that it does not receive its dinner directly - it eats mosquitoes that have just drunk human blood. The vampire spider is the only animal known to choose its prey based on what it has just eaten.
When it smells blood, the spider goes berserk, killing up to 20 mosquitoes. This makes the vampire spider potentially useful, as the mosquito species it kills, Anopheles gambiae, is a malaria vector. By controlling the numbers of these mosquitoes, the spider saves lives.

Due to the fact that his dinner is usually hung around people, so does the spider. He is attracted to the smell of human settlements, including the smell of dirty socks. Scientists did an experiment in which they put a vampire spider in a box. In one case there was a clean sock in the box, in the second it was dirty. The spiders lingered longer at the dirty socks. Scientists hope that this knowledge will help them attract populations of this beneficial spider to areas where it is necessary to reduce the population of harmful mosquitoes.

Seeing a spider in a dream means that you will be attentive and active in your work, and good luck will thank you for this.

To see a spider weaving its web in this means that you will be calm and happy in your home.

To kill a spider in a dream portends that you will quarrel with your wife or lover.

If a spider bites you in a dream, you will become a victim of betrayal, and your work will suffer through the fault of your enemies.

If you see in a dream that you are surrounded by a lot of spiders hanging on their webs, this promises you an unusually favorable combination of circumstances: good health, good luck, support from your friends.

To dream that you have stumbled upon a web with a huge spider means, despite dangerous connections, quick success in life.

A dream in which very large and very small spiders are approaching you at the same time means that you will succeed in business and will rejoice at your immense luck more than once; however, if a huge spider bites you in a dream, the enemies will steal your luck. If a small spider bites you, then minor attacks and envy will bother you.

If you dream that you are running away from a big spider, it means that luck will leave you under circumstances that are humiliating for you. If you kill this spider, then perhaps you will take a worthy position. However, if he later comes to life and again chases you, then you will be oppressed by illness and the volatility of fortune.

If a girl dreams that golden spiders are crawling around her, then her happiness is just around the corner and soon new friends will surround her.

Interpretation of dreams from Miller's Dream Interpretation

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Variegated flies (Tephritidae) are medium-sized or small flies with a pattern on the wings characteristic of each species in the form of dark bands, spots, and dots. The larvae of the variegated wing are herbivorous, they live in the baskets of Compositae, eating away the flowers. Some species cause galls on stems and roots. Adult variegated flies prefer nectar, sweet secretions of aphids, fruit juice.

On juicy fruits, there is a variegated cherry fly Rhagoletis cerasi. This is a brown-black fly with a yellow head, shield and legs. It harms cherries in Ciscaucasia, since its larvae live in cherries. Females lay eggs under the skin of ripening cherries, which the larvae eat, causing the cherry, of course, to rot and fall off. The larva pupates already in the soil.

Adult female cherry flies fly between branches in search of fruits. At the same time, females learn and then, when it comes time to lay eggs, they more readily choose those plants that they have previously examined than unfamiliar ones. The fly does not see very far, and the neighboring tree, if it is located further than 1.6 m, finds it with difficulty. The fly examines different branches of one tree, and only after making sure that it is empty, goes in a random search for other trees.

Many variegated flies (for example, Anastrepha suspensa) make inviting sounds, like crickets or cicadas, when a male and a female approach. The variegated wing Schistopterum moebiusi is distinguished by the fact that the males of this species are territorial, sitting on their sites in anticipation of females and chasing rivals. In Orophona cardui, the male's territorial defense has gone so far that the male marks his territory with a certain scent, warning his rivals to stay out of the area. Success in skirmishes usually depends on the size of the male. In Isoconia aegeriana and Spathulina sicula, the male feeds the female with droplets of saliva secreted by the proboscis. The female eats these "gifts", as with scorpions, becomes kinder and accepts the courtship of the male. In the latter species, even such excesses as “long-term” relationships with “serious intentions” are observed: the male feeds the female with saliva even after copulation. It would seem - why? But even a brainless fly understands something ...

But all these plots are repeatedly used by various other species. The speckwings, on the other hand, give a rare plot: some of them have found a very ingenious way to defeat the spiders. Flies take advantage of the fact that jumping spiders are territorial creatures, males seize feeding areas from them and, when an opponent appears, they wave their legs, dance an aggressive dance, demonstrating that the place is occupied.

The North American variegated fly Zonostemata vittigera has a characteristic wing pattern that is directly related to the spider. When a jumper appears, this fly begins to vibrate its wings in a special way and make characteristic spider movements, so that the spider believes that it has run into a very hefty male rival. Judging that victory does not shine, the spider quickly retreats. Of course, such behavior protects the motley wing only from jumping spiders, spiders of other families regale themselves with them, but even that is bread ... And most importantly, moral satisfaction.

Few people will be surprised to learn that the fear of spiders is one of the most common among people. After all, these mysterious creatures are so similar to us. Perhaps the irrational fear comes from the ancestors. After all, the bite of a spider in ancient times significantly reduced the chances of survival.

And the appearance of these arthropods is simply unpleasant for many. In total, the detachment includes 42 thousand species that are distributed everywhere. Almost all spiders are predators.

Despite all the dislike for spiders, often a person is guided by myths, and not by common sense. As a result, these false beliefs give rise to even greater fear. Is it time to debunk the main myths and misconceptions about spiders?

All spiders spin webs. It seems natural to us that spiders have eight legs, eat flies and catch prey with the help of webs. In fact, this method of catching prey is inherent in only half of the representatives of the detachment. Other spiders prefer active hunting. For example, wolf spiders stalk their prey just like other animals. But trapdor spiders build special holes with hatches, where they hide. As soon as the fluctuations of the signal threads let you know about the approach of the prey, the creatures immediately jump out of the ambush and grab the prey. Other spiders do not weave a web, but shoot it either immediately at the prey, immobilizing it, or even throw it into the air so that it flies freely, and maybe catches someone. People believed that all spiders weave a web, since this light mesh can be found much more often than a spider that will attack a person by shooting a web at him.

All spiders are predators. There is one exception to this rule - the jumping spider. These creatures live on acacias and feed on plants. Their food is Belt's bodies at the tip of acacia leaves, as well as nectar. And only in times of drought, such spiders can eat each other.

Spiders have 8 legs. This is what spiders differ from insects, which have 6 legs. However, a considerable number - up to 10% exist without one or two paws. After all, the life of a spider is not easy, so losses cannot be avoided. Scientists say that six paws are enough for a comfortable existence for spiders, nature gave them the other two as if in reserve. Even in the absence of a pair of limbs, the spider remains just as viable.

Spiders can make nests in the human head. This myth is no longer so popular in our time, although many people believed in it in the 1950s. After all, then lush hairstyles in the form of a cocoon or a beehive came into fashion. They were so complex that they were difficult to care for and wash. So people began to believe that in such a cozy place, spiders would gladly build their home. In fact, spiders don't like living in human hair. Most of them are too big to move around comfortably. And hive hairstyles will make the task of moving even more difficult. After all, the accumulation of hair is present in one place. Yes, and the hair constantly scatters, which does not add comfort to spiders.

Spiders never get caught in their own webs. Such an assumption seems logical, because in the webs we usually see flies, but not spiders. They seem to have some kind of immunity to their own stickiness. In fact, spiders do not have such a quality. They just move extremely carefully along the net to avoid getting stuck there. And contrary to another myth, not all webs are sticky. Some nets have small scattered drops of glue. As a result, spiders simply do not step on them, realizing all the danger. Scientists suggest that the unique design of the spider's legs also helps not to fall into their own traps. Either a special liquid is released from them that dissolves the glue, or there is a special device here. In general, spiders are well aware of the structure of their labyrinth, which threads are dry and which are sticky, choosing the best route.

It is better not to kill a domestic spider, but simply throw it out into the street. What is the first reaction of a person who sees a spider at home? Kill him with a newspaper! True, there are more merciful people who carefully take the spider and take it out into the street. It seems that everyone will benefit from such a step - a person will get rid of a dangerous creature, and the spider will return to its natural environment. In fact, most likely the arthropod will simply freeze. After all, most of these spiders have spent their entire lives indoors; they are simply not adapted to life in the open air. This is especially true for Europe. Although people are afraid of any kind of spiders, the creatures living in the house are harmless to us. They can't even bite through the skin. So with good intentions, the spider can simply be killed more subtly.

Spiders can lay their eggs under human skin. There is a legend about a man who was bitten by a spider in an exotic country. Returning home, the traveler discovered how the bite site began to swell, as a result, many small spiders escaped from there. Really, it's scary? In fact, there is nothing to do with reality in this legend. Some other creatures, like wasps, can actually lay their eggs inside other animals. But spiders simply do not have the means to achieve such a goal. Not only do they, in principle, do not have the necessary capabilities to accommodate their offspring in a person, but also the choice of a place to store eggs is very scrupulous. Spiders prefer secluded and protected places where nothing will threaten the offspring. Placing eggs under human skin would mean the death of spiders immediately after hatching - who would tolerate this?

At a distance of a meter from us, there is certainly some kind of spider. This myth originated from the archaeologist Norman Platnick, who in 1995 stated in a paper that “wherever a person is within a few meters of him, there is likely to be some sort of spider.” Although it is difficult to even imagine how many spiders live in the world, it is ridiculous to assume that you cannot lie down or walk a few steps so as not to be in their company. People took such a statement as a fact, and now they speculate on it. Yes, and "a few meters" was changed to "meter", and the word was probably dropped altogether. In 2001, this statement was already cited in books as a fact.

Female Black Widows eat their males. This opinion is not true. Most likely the reason is a misinterpretation of what is happening. It is believed that female black widow spiders actually eat their males. This is how the term "black widow" was born, which refers to a highly suspicious or angry woman. In fact, if this happens, it is not at all as often as it seems. First of all, there are several varieties of "black widows", and only some of them are engaged in eating relatives. And in this case, this happens as a result of hunger, which is a good excuse for them. Black widow males are much smaller than females - almost 4 times. When mating, the spiders are very close to the mouth of a hungry female. Avoiding temptation is quite difficult, but quite possible. Thus an insignificant fact received far more fame than it should have. Other habits of spiders, sometimes even more repulsive, have remained “behind the scenes” in popular culture.

Every year a person unintentionally swallows several spiders. This is another statement that a lot of people believe. To refute it from a scientific point of view is quite difficult. And this myth was born thanks to Lisa Holst. She decided to prove that people are ready to believe in everything that is printed on the Internet. That is why she sent out a lot of fake facts by e-mail to her acquaintances. The story about swallowing spiders became her pride - she was believed in the most. Lisa found this story in a book called Insect Facts and Legends. However, swallowing spiders is precisely a fictional story. People are ready to believe in any scary story, it quickly spread on the Internet.

The most poisonous spider is the haymaker. This myth is complemented by the reassuring fact that a spider cannot bite through human skin. In fact, it is worth noting that there is no real haymaker, there are many different creatures united by this name. Some of them are actually insects, not spiders, and certainly not poisonous. The same spider that bears this name is harmless to humans. The "Mythbusters" even made an experiment - the tester's hand was bitten, but the person felt only a weak and quick burning sensation. Yes, and the analysis of the poison showed that the "black widow" it is stronger.

There are huge camel spiders. There are real legends around the creatures that live in the deserts. And it's all because of the messages on the Internet that announced the discovery of the Iraqi camel spider. They say that it reaches 30 centimeters in length, can live in the stomachs of camels, run at speeds up to 40 km / h, and make a loud noise at the same time. Naturally, there are myths about the extremely poisonousness of camel spiders, allegedly because of this, even one of the peacekeepers in Iraq died. In fact, these creatures are phalanges, representatives of the arachnid family, but not spiders. They rarely grow over 14 centimeters and cannot run faster than 10 miles per hour. And certainly everything that is attributed to them is a myth. However, meeting with such creatures in the desert will be terrible.

Spiders are such insects. Do not confuse spiders with insects. Spiders are an order in the class Arachnida from the order Arthropods. This order also includes the class of insects.

Scorpions are spiders. And in this case, it is worth separating spiders and scorpions. Both those and those are separate units from the class of arachnids.

Spiders are generally harmless to humans. This statement is true for most spiders, but not all. Indeed, the fangs of these creatures are small, which is not enough to bite through the skin. However, larger representatives, such as tarantulas, may well harm human health and even kill him.

Spiders suck juices from their prey. This is a fairly popular myth, but you should not consider spiders to be some sort of vampires. In fact, they simply eat small and hard particles of the victim's body. Spiders are generally unique in that their digestion process can begin outside their body itself. Often we see how a spider bites its prey and wraps it in a web. After the death of the victim, the hunter proceeds to the meal. First, the spider will literally pour its digestive fluid onto its prey. Then it is chewed with the jaws, and the resulting liquid is drawn back into the mouth. A little processed body weight of the victim is also sent there. As necessary, this process is repeated, as a result, the spider eats everything, except for the completely inedible and hard parts. Spiders usually eat the body itself, but refuse the wings and legs. Those hunters with weak jaws (weaver spiders or crab spiders) prefer a different diet. They make small holes in the body of their prey and inject their digestive fluid through them. When she dissolves all the insides and muscles in herself, the spider will suck her back

A spider can bite a person while he is sleeping. Even the most aggressive spiders do not attack first, so a sleeping person need not worry.

Spiders carry the infection on their fangs. Unlike ticks, spiders do not have contact with human blood, so they cannot be infected with harmful microbes.

Tarantulas do indeed eat birds. Purely theoretically, of course, it can be assumed that such an adult and large spider wants to eat a chick or a small bird. But in fact, the main food is still various invertebrates, as well as insects. And this name went to the spiders purely by accident. One of the scientists who explored the nature of America once saw a spider eating a hummingbird. In fact, this phenomenon is quite rare. An engraving depicting this process was sent to Europe. People quickly spread the sensational news - there are tarantulas! A single fact became the basis for a myth, a person believed that such spiders only feed on birds.