These spiders are not just deadly predators – they also have terrifyingly calculated ways of luring and catching their prey.
- Scariest spiders on the planet: creepy arachnids that may send shivers down your spine
- The biggest spiders in the UK, including one with a humongous 7cm leg-span: look for them in canals, gardens, ditches... and under your bed
- Biggest spiders in the world: Discover gigantic, terrifying arachnids as big as dinner plates
- Deadliest, most venomous spiders on the planet: Are these dangerous spiders as fearsome and lethal as their reputation?
6 most cunning spiders in the world
Orb-weaver spider
Orb-weaver spiders eat fireflies, but only the males. This is because only the males can fly and therefore get trapped in webs.
Fireflies (Abscondita terminalis) flash with the aim of attracting mates. Females emit single flashes to attract males, while males emit multiple flashes to attract females.
- This venomous spider traps male fireflies in its web and forces them to flash like females. Experts just found out why
- Fireflies guide: Discover the secrets behind their dazzling light show - and where to see one of the world's best wildlife spectacles
During a study in the Wuhan Province, China, a team of scientists noticed something strange. The spiders didn’t always eat the male fireflies straight away. What’s more, male fireflies caught in webs seemed to flash like females.
This gives an obvious advantage to the spiders – other males will come to the web because they think they're flying to a mate, which means more food for the spider.
Researchers tested whether the spiders were somehow manipulating the fireflies' behaviour, and discovered that the spiders would usually bite the fireflies when they became trapped in the web. This suggests that their venomous bite might somehow cause behavioural changes in the fireflies.
- Why don’t spiders get stuck in their own webs?
- 7 amazing zebra jumping spider facts
- Is spider silk - pound for pound - as strong as steel?
Assassin spider
This aptly named arachnid stalks its prey (other spiders) for days on end by following their silken drag lines, then walks undetected in their webs, luring them to certain death by plucking seductively at the threads.
- With deadly long jaws that drain their prey dry, this is one of the world’s most spine-chilling spiders — and it's known as a lethal assassin
- Do spiders have teeth?
And then there's those long, fang-tipped jaws, which the predator uses not only to impale its quarry from afar but also to hold the victim at arm's length, as it were, so that it cannot bite back before the assassin's venom kicks in.
But, though the assassin certainly sounds scary, arachnophobes can sleep easy. What these spiders boast in weirdness, they lack in size – most are just a few millimetres long.
- Can spiders really be beautiful? Oh yes... meet the 5 prettiest spiders on the planet, from metallic-blue tarantulas to dancing peacock spiders
- How a giant, furry tarantula helped me overcome depression and anxiety —and why you should start loving these amazing arachnids too
Puppetmaster
If you think that the photograph above resembles a spider sitting in its web, you're right. But take a closer look: all is not as it seems. What appears to be a single large arachnid has actually been constructed from fragments of leaves, insects and other debris woven carefully into the web.
It was built by a spider, albeit one much smaller, just visible at the point where the pseudo-spider's head would be. From there, the puppetmaster can pull the strings – quite literally – to bring its creation to life, waggling its legs realistically when danger approaches.
The builders of these decoy spiders are the orb weavers Cyclosa inca and Cyclosa longicauda. The marionette is believed to deter predators that might be tempted to tuck into its smaller, less intimidating creator.
Portia
Octopuses aren’t the only intelligent invertebrates out there. Portia is a spider that specialises in hunting other spiders. It locates its prey by sight from afar, thanks to a pair of enormous forward-facing eyes. The real challenge, though, is to creep up on it without being seen.
Portia is capable of planning a route through the three-dimensional vegetation that allows it to approach its chosen victim from the rear. This route may involve significant detours in the opposite direction and long periods during which the prey is out of sight.
Darwin's bark spider
Seduction is an awkward game. This is particularly true of Darwin’s bark spider (Caerostris darwini). The female is Goliath to his David; about 14 times his weight. To seduce her, the male must gingerly traverse her enormous web – a succession of tripwires designed to sense the slightest vibration – and copulate, all without triggering her attacking instinct.
The female can catch and eat her sexual suitors before, during or after sex. Studies have shown that cannibalism provides the female with superior sustenance, as the nutrients derived from the male are effectively tailor-made for making baby spiders. Sexual cannibalism is thus the ultimate act of paternal care, as long as the munched male is actually the father.
- Deadly, brutal females that lure males to their death: For these unlucky male animals mating is a lethal business
- Deadliest females on the planet: Discover some ferocious female animals that you wouldn't want to mess with
Vampire spider
The vampire spider is a member of the imminently likeable and charismatic jumping spider family (Salticidae). At first glance, the vampire spider is dull and seemingly unremarkable-looking. It is a drab brown-and-grey colour and relatively small in stature, growing to less than 5mm long.
However, what it lacks in obvious flourish and flamboyance, it more than makes up for in its specialised life pursuits.
- Meet the vampire spider, an unassuming arachnid that drinks human blood and has a liking for smelly socks
- Arachnophobes look away now as here are the weirdest spiders in the world – including one that has a taste for human blood…
Culicivora means ‘mosquito eater’ and the species hunts these infamous insects with a single-minded focus – it specifically targets the females. This is because it is only the females that feed on the blood of humans and other mammals, and believe it or not, it is actually the blood that the spider is after. Being such a tiny creature, it doesn’t have the hardware to pierce human skin, so it uses the mosquitoes as go-betweens. It’s therefore not really a true vampire after all, but an indirect one – a vampire one stop removed.
