In a new study published in the journal the Science of Nature, Martin Nyffeler and Klaus Birkhofer unveiled a shocking calculation...
...suggesting that all the spiders in the world could theoretically consume the meat of the entire human race in a year.
It is estimated that the world’s spiders consume between 400 and 800 million tons of flesh from their prey annually...
...substantially more than the combined biomass of all humans on Earth, who weigh in at approximately 350 million tons.
In fact, spiders are such prolific carnivores that it is likely that they eat at least as much meat as all of humanity...
...as the planet’s 7 billion humans are estimated to eat only 400 million tons of meat and fish every year in comparison...
Should spiders ever decide to unleash their ferocious appetite on humans, there may be nowhere for you to hide...
...as a 2016 National Science Foundation entomological survey of North Carolina uncovered spiders lurking in 100% of homes.
Worldwide, it is estimated that there are an average of 157 spiders per square yard (or 131 spiders per square meter)...
...density figures that can reach well over 1,000 individual spiders in the same spaces, given “favorable” conditions.
Within homes, spiders are believed to be particularly fond of bathrooms and bedrooms, being found in 68% and 75% respectively.
It is expected that the range of venomous spiders will continue to spread as global warming makes more habitats hospitable...
Spiders are familiar as tricky solo trappers employing a variety of webs, funnels, and trapdoors to ensnare their prey...
...but given that they need to consume 10% of their body weight in food per day, some have chosen more aggressive tactics.
These include “social spiders” such as Anelosimus eximius that hunt in packs to kill prey hundreds of times their size...
...as well as the “spitting spider” family Scytodidae that spits a fluid of venom and silk that congeals on and melts their prey.
Also not content to sit and wait for a meal are the Dolomedes, or “fishing spiders,” that can run on the water’s surface.
Detecting ripples, they will dive below encased in pockets of air to snatch fish and liquidate their insides with venom...
All spiders are predators, but some have evolved more subtle strategies of deception to outsmart their competition.
At least 300 species are known as “ant mimics” and have evolved appearances similar to the ants in the colonies they infiltrate.
By pretending to be an ant the spiders can use ant swarms for protection or can grab a quick meal using a variety of techniques.
The Amyciaea spider, for example, will grab one of its hosts and drop away from the crime scene on a silk safety line to eat.
Zodarion spiders, on the other hand, are more brazen and will carry the dead bodies of ants through the colony as a shield.
As ants rely on scent, many ant-mimics use modified forms of the strategy and rub their bodies with decapitated ants to blend in...
The most widespread spider myth may be that the “daddy longlegs” is the world’s most venomous spider that can’t bite humans.
Neither component of the belief is true, however, as Pholcidae’s venom is not very potent and its fangs can indeed pierce skin.
Instead, it is thought that the Brazilian wandering spider has the most dangerous and potentially deadly venom of all spiders.
Their venom contains a neurotoxin that causes loss of muscle control and eventual paralysis and asphyxiation if untreated.
In addition to neurotoxins, other spider species deploy nasty necrotic venoms that can cause flesh to die and melt away.
Global spider-bite statistics are hard to come by, but CDC data suggests that 7 people are killed by spiders in the US every year...