The World's Hardest Spider Preys on Other Spiders
Posted on June 18, 2011
Palpimanus gibbulus is the hardest spider in the world. It preys on other spiders. Researchers suspect that Palpimanus will even barge into the nest of other spiders and kill them and eat them. The tough, tank-like spider has a cuticle tens of micrometres thick. It also has very large front legs, which it uses to grab and hold other spiders.
Discover reports that the spider's other hunting skills include super fast strikes and a sticky grip. Discover says the spider's grip is so adhesive that spiders caught by Palpimanus's grip often have to break off a leg to escape.
New Scientist reports that researchers staged battles in the lab that put Palpimanus gibbulus and a very close relative, Palpimanus orientalis, up against dozens of other spiders. i09 dubbed this a "deadly spider thunderdome." Palipmanus was able to catch all 29 of the spiders in the thunderdome, even if the spider was twice its size. Palipmanus also faced the jumping spider, Cyrba algerina, which also hunts and eats other spiders. Palipmanus defeated the jumping spider 90% of the time and was captured by the jumping spider the other 10% of the time.
Here is a video of Palpimanus gibbulus defeating other spiders in a few of the battles. Notice that some of the spiders sacrificed a leg to escape the sticky grip of P. gibbulus. Take a look:
The Palpimanus gibbulus research paper, by Pekar, Sobotnok & Lubin, was published here in Naturwissenschaften.