Of all the pop culture cryptids lurking in the dark, vampires have the most iconic fangs. One can only assume that they not only have a soft spot for bats, but also spiders with fangs that look straight out of a horror movie. Vampires and spiders can easily send shivers down your spine, but what about a mixture of the two?
This sinister combination actually exists in real life, known as the vampire spider (Evarcha cultivator). The good news is that while this arachnid has a bloodlust that rivals even Dracula's, it has no intention of sinking its fangs into human necks. Nor does it look as intimidating as its name suggests, with a body the size of a grain of rice and beady eyes that are oddly cute.
Find out where vampire spiders get their daily dose of blood and how it nourishes them in different ways.
Read more: Spiders will hunt in groups and share food if they have enlarged brain structures
The vampire spider's favorite food
The vampire spider is a species of jumping spider native to the regions around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda. As their name suggests, they love the blood of humans and animals. But, as luck would have it, their fangs are so small that they cannot pierce the skin.
However, spiders have a backup plan to get their favorite food; they catch mosquitoes Anopheles genus that are already engorged with blood, making them “mosquito specialists.” These spiders specifically target blood-sucking female mosquitoes since male mosquitoes cannot feed on blood.
They're not just mosquito experts. According to a 2017 survey, they can also be considered “plant specialists.” study in the magazine Behavioral processes. They visit certain plants in response to odorous compounds such as humulene and caryophyllene, although their targets vary depending on age; juvenile spiders select plants for nectar as a food source, while adults select them as mating sites.
Sniffing out human odors
Vampire spiders primarily use two hunting strategies. mosquitoes: vision and smell. These features help them distinguish mosquitoes from non-biting midges (or “lake flies”), which live in the same habitat but do not carry the blood that spiders are interested in.
Previous research has shown that spiders are also attracted to human odors, especially those that are not very attractive, such as the smell of sweaty socks. As gross as it may sound, this scent directs them to areas where people—and in turn, mosquitoes—are present.
There are several other ways that vampire spiders can find mosquitoes to fill up on blood. They rely on their vision to select targets and have been shown to be able to recognize female mosquitoes by their antennae.
Blood obsession
Even though spiders are skilled hunters, spider strategy is not always perfect. One downside is that, as blood lovers, they are too obsessed with the color red.
2022 study published in Animal behavior observed this deficiency in an experiment that gave vampire spiders the opportunity to feed on blood-feeding mosquitoes, mosquitoes fed a mixture of red food coloring to make them appear to feed on blood, and gray mosquitoes mimicking the appearance of those that had never fed on blood.
No wonder the spiders were delighted with the blood-sucking mosquitoes. This preference was strongest within six hours after the mosquitoes had fed on blood and their bodies were red. At 12 o'clock, when the red color began to fade from the mosquitoes, the spiders seemed to lose interest.
The spiders also preferred red-colored mosquitoes over grey-colored mosquitoes, proving that it is the red color of blood that attracts them most.
While vampire spiders' diminutive stature and affinity for smelly socks don't make them as cheerful as vampires, their lust for blood can be unparalleled.
Read more: New Frankenstein Spider Found in Thailand Is Half Male, Half Female
Article Sources
Our authors in discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed research and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
