Do Spiders Eat Their Babies? Spiders that Do & Reason Behind it.
Is the myth true that spiders can eat their babies?
If so, why would Spiders try to eat their own babies & Which Spiders are known to do this?
There are thousands of different spider species, and some of them as you might know can look quite terrifying, but are they really as bad as they look and can they eat their own Babies?
Why Would Spiders Eat their own Babies?
The first reason why a spider would eat their babies is for nutrients that help them to survive in the wildlife which we all know is fairly rough.
The second reason why spiders could eat their own ‘blood’ is that spiders do not have brains, they only have nerves that connect to each other.
Therefore, they can’t feel empathy, or any type of emotion/connection to other spiders even though they can be from the same species, or worse -Their own Babies!
The third reason for a spider to eat its babies is out of hunger. If it was not able to have a meal before giving birth, it can eat its own baby spiders out of pure survival.
How Often Do Spiders eat their own Babies
Is it a common thing for spiders to eat their own babies?
Well, it is not that common, specialists say that spider cannibalism (the act of a spider eating another spider) is very rare and spider mothers will do this only out of desperation or if they simply have mixed up the babies!
There is a major difference between male and female spiders. Female spiders are known for their aggression. Some of the female spiders eat their partners.
This is the reason why they are more susceptible to eat their own babies rather than the male spiders.
Given the chance, however, a male spider will also eat spider babies if he is starving – Most Spiders Die out of hunger without ever having had a meal…
Comparison Between Species & Which Spiders Eat their Young
Wolf Spiders
A Wolf Spider is large and hairy, usually grey with brown to dark grey markings. You can find a Wolf spider everywhere in the world, from mountains to deserts and rainforests.
They can be found in gardens and grasslands, as long as they can find insects to eat. They are known to carry their own babies on their backs.
This type of species it’s actually known for their care for their babies and the chances of them eating their own babies are NON-EXISTENT.
Huntsman Spiders
A huntsman spider is known for its distinct large look, also called the Giant spider. The hunstman spider can be found in Africa, Australia and South America and is native to Asia.
The hunstman spider guards its babies, therefore it DOES NOT eat its own babies.
House spiders
A house spider can be found almost everywhere in North America . It has a small size and it is the most common spider that you can see.
They eat tiny insects like wasps and moths, it has not been seen that they would eat their own babies.
Black widows
Black widows have a special colouring and they have red hourglass marking on the underside of their abdomens.
Usually, the black widow spider can be found in the South and West of the United States, southern Europe, Australia, Africa.
Unlike other spiders, the black widow spiders are known to consume other spiders from their own species, they have even been seen to eat their own spider babies!
Tarantulas
Tarantulas are dull brown or black and have hairy legs. It is the most common ”pet” spider, in the wild they can usually be found in the desert and grassland areas.
Just like black widows, they have been seen to eat their own babies.
Brown recluse Spiders
Brown recluse spiders come in all different sizes and colours, from medium brown to dark brown or grey with markings.
They are known to live mostly in South & Central America.
Brown recluse spiders haven’t been seen to eat their own babies.
Does Daddy long-legs eat their Babies?
The Daddy longlegs spider, as you can tell from its name, has long legs and pale colour.
It can be found in the southern half of Britain and sometimes even Scotland.
Daddy Long Legs haven’t been seen to eat their own babies, it however is known to keep the egg sacs in its own mouth at times.
In Conclusion
There are two species, the black widows and tarantulas that have both been seen eating their own babies.
There might be more species that actually do this,however due to how rare this is,we simply do not know yet…Most of the spider species will take good care of their babies.
For some spider species, it is even known that the Mother spider will allow for her babies to eat herself!
Often times baby spiderlings will even eat each other once they are born!
Is the myth true that spiders can eat their babies?
