A trait all spiders share is their predatory lifestyle.
Well maybe not all, cause as I learnt today there is actually one spider species that has taken a different philosophical approach when it comes to its diet!
Meet Bagheera kiplingi, a spider best known for it's mostly herbivorous diet and the only known spider known to exhibit this trait:
Male individual source
This is a jumping spider species found in countries of Central America, like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala inhabiting Vachellia plants commonly known as acacias.
Vachellia plant source
Now, here's where the interesting part comes. These plants often have something called Beltian bodies. These are small detachable tips that form on the leaves of these plants and they are rich in lipids, sugars and proteins. These are really peculiar plant structures and they are believed to have evolved in a symbiotic relationship with ants, which live in or near the plant and protect it from herbivore invaders.
Acacia leaves with Beltian Bodies source
As you probably guessed by now, the spiders feed almost exclusively on these nabs, taking good care to avoid the ant guardian, as shown in the video below:
Occasionally they will also drink nectar, steal an ant larvae or two and cannibalize other individuals of the species.. But at the end of the day Beltian tubes consist about 90 % of their diet.
As a sidenote, some of you may have noticed that the scientific name Bagheera kiplingi sounds a bit weird. To some it may even remind of something, at least that was my case although I couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.
Well... The Bagheera part is derived grom the black panther from The Jungle Book while the kiplingi part is in honor of the author Rudyard Kipling :)
Ok friends, this is it for today! See you soon with more weird wonders from mother Nature 😄
As always, feel free to pay a visit to Wikipedia if you'd like to learn more!
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