Spiders eat 'vegetarian'

Scientists say they have discovered the world's first vegetarian spider in Central and South America forests.

With the scientific name Bagheera kiplingi (BK), this new spider has eight legs, living in Central America, Mexico and Costa Rica. He did not like to eat meat like his relatives but only enjoyed chewing the leaves of acacia.

Bagheera kiplingi - the only species of spider among 40,000 spiders in the world that does not eat meat (Photo: RL Curry)

Acacia trees also have ants living. Between acacia and ants have symbiotic relationships: ants actively protect the acacia tree from being destroyed by the enemy, and the acacia gives ants a hollow thorn to make nests and food is acacia nectar and leaf tips. So Bagheera kiplingi always avoided touching ant faces.

Professor Robert L. Curry of Villanova University, Pennsylvania (USA), one of the researchers on the spider species, said: ' When you want to eat the tip of the leafy glue protected by' bodyguards', the spider takes the initiative to replace it. change target; when they see ants coming to attack they often evade, when they eat they will run away, using spider silk to retreat. That strategy seems to be very successful '.