Incy vegetarian spider is a scientific first

[n2doc]

From The Sunday Times
October 11, 2009


Bagheera kiplingi the vegetarian spider

SCIENTISTS have discovered the world’s first known vegetarian spider.

Bagheera kiplingi, a South American species, lives almost exclusively on leaf buds and is thought to be the only spider of about 40,000 species to have rejected a carnivorous diet.

Instead it has developed a laidback lifestyle based on nutritious wild acacia plants — and has no need to spin a web to catch its prey.

The females have even dispensed with the time-honoured spider custom of eating their sexual partners immediately after mating.

more:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/biology_evolution/article6869475.ece

[Triana]

1. Yay for vegetarian spiders!

Interesting story. Thanks!

[damntexdem]

5. No, yay for carnivorous spiders.

They eat pests.

[Triana]

9. Can we get them to eat Fox Nuisance? :) n/t

[Oregone]

2. Maybe they will succeed in spider disarmament

If they aren't too busy smoking pot and getting laid.

[juno jones]

12. Acacia species are known to contain DMT and

related compounds.

Dunno if it has a thing to do with it, but there ya go.

[Oregone]

15. Wow...is it harvestable? Or do you have to eat the veggie spiders for quick trip?

[juno jones]

16. Harvestable, but useless unless combined

with a MAO inhibitor ala Ayauasca. There are theories that a combination of Acacia and Esphand (peganum harmala) might have been responsible for visions in ancient middle eastern religions. A few of the Acacias are MAO inhibitors as well. Put it this way most are potentially psychoactive. At least in our biology. Dunno about spiders.


Caveat: This is a huge genus so results are going to vary from specie to specie, and they do not specify which of any acacias the said spiders prefer...

[Buzz Clik]

3. The females have even dispensed with the time-honoured spider custom of eating their sexual partners

Now, to convince my ex to assume a similar pattern of behavior...

[kestrel91316]

4. "Incy"? That one's not in my dictionary.

[silverweb]

6. Mine either.

Google referred me to the _Urban Dictionary_ , but its definitions are (unsurprisingly) inappropriate.

We need a Brit to translate for us.

[Tartiflette]

7. incy wincy spider

climbed up the waterspout
Down came the rain
and washed poor incy out
Up came the sunshine
And dried away the rain
And incy wincy spider
climbed up the spout again

[silverweb]

10. Maybe, but misspelled for Yanks.

That "incy" is spelled "eensy." Silly British spelling.... :D

[AnneD]

14. Two Nations....

separated by a common language.

[Festivito]

13. The itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and it dried up all the rain
And the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again.

[kestrel91316]

8. Eensy, like teensy, maybe? Very tiny?

[silverweb]

11. Probably.

See my reply just above. :)

[NNadir]

17. A failure to eat your mate is nothing to be proud of.

[Phoonzang]

18. I wonder if it acts all superior and holier-than-thou

when it goes out to dinner with other spiders............

I KID, I KID...really...yeah... :yoiks: