Vegetarian Spider

Posted by NG Kids in News Bites on October 14, 2009
i-572e5bcfe7d5a79f9491410ac1f62340-bagheera-spider-lg.jpg

Photograph by Robert L. Curry

Did you know that there are more than 40,000 species of spiders, but only one species is known to be vegetarian? The jumping spider is named Bagheera kiplingi after the character of Bagheera the panther in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

Bagheera kiplingi lives in Mexico and Costa Rica and eats the buds that grow on acacia plants. Ferocious acacia ants live in the acacia’s hollow thorns and defend the plants from intruders such as Bagheera kiplingi. The spider must leap from thorn to thorn to collect its food while avoiding the ants, according to Christopher Meehan the biologist who led the study. “It is utterly surreal to see a spider use such effective hunting strategies to hunt a plant,” he added.

Read more about this plant-loving spider on National Geographic News.

Put together puzzles featuring spiders on National Geographic Kids.

Watch a video of a jumping spider on National Geographic Kids.

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Categories: Animals

Comments

  1. emshemie3
    October 14, 2009, 5:02 pm

    Well, what do you know? Hopefully if it is vegetarian it will not bite anything besides plants! The spider from the close-up view of the camera looks kind of cute…

  2. llamasrock
    October 14, 2009, 6:26 pm

    Well my Current Event in geogorfie is gonna be on this now and this is telling people that SPIDER ARE NOT EVIL MAN EATING THINGS NOT E-V-I-L and besides this is sorta cool i mean 40,000 species of spiders and only 1 thats right 1 is vegitarion but news is sorta dry

  3. llamasrock
    October 14, 2009, 6:31 pm

    No comment what is that thing in its mouth that orange thingy?!?!?!?! ………. it weird gross like a thorn sticking out of it X_X gross… <_>

  4. fishslayer1
    October 15, 2009, 11:42 am

    that is so cool!!! i love spiders and never even heard of that kind of spider!!peace out:)

  5. llamasrock
    October 15, 2009, 9:21 pm

    no comment fishslayer but i totally disagree with you i mean ok now this news is really really dry i mean VEGITAIN SPIDER?????? i am sure to get a 50% on my current event but its due friday…………………. :V

  6. Tomboy4563
    October 16, 2009, 1:08 pm

    Some people find spiders cute.I don’t know how cause I don’t but that dosen’t mean they are evil.Most people judge spiders by the way they look all creepy and sometimes hairy.Yes I find them creepy but not evil.They help you by eating the flies in your house duh!

  7. epalmeiro1
    October 16, 2009, 4:20 pm

    I really like spiders but I have never heard of a Bagheera Kiplingi. I cant believe it is a vegetarian. I guess I learned something new today. how did youfigure out this information. Its very interesting news. Thanks!

  8. emshemie3
    October 18, 2009, 2:59 pm

    Yeah, what is that orange thing in its mouth?

  9. Jolly
    October 26, 2009, 5:09 pm

    That is so coo!!!l Spiders are awsome!!

  10. 2whitie
    March 31, 2010, 6:13 pm

    Aww… Poor little spider… Imaging being attacked by ants over a leaf!

  11. bille jams
    August 5, 2011, 12:42 am

    Ah…Hey,
    Thanks for providing such a great info about Bagheera kiplingi. There are so sweet and cool I love spiders!
    Realtor Lexington KY

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