Here's imagery I don't need - bat-eating spiders.

[Tab]

Bat-eating spiders are virtually everywhere, a new study has found. The only place bats are safe from these grasping arachnids is Antarctica.

And bats don’t live in Antarctica.

It’s enough to make you feel sorry for bats. The study, published last week in the journal Plos One, says: “Incidences of bats being captured by spiders have been reported from virtually every continent with the exception of Antarctica.”

Reports include bats being hunted down and captured by tarantulas and other hunting spiders. Otherwise, crafty arachnids have built their webs where the bats will become entangled — and then become lunch.

“The dominant group of bat-catching spiders are giant orb-weavers of the genus Nephila,” the report states. These forest-dwelling spiders have a leg span of 4 to 6 inches and can weigh as much as 7 grams. “Feeding was found to be most intense in the time between sundown and midnight.”

The female spiders have been known to join together, building several connecting webs for a bat death trap “of many square meters.”

Perhaps it’s only fair. Bats have few natural enemies. The spiders help keep the balance. With help from a giant centipede that eats bats.



More: http://herocomplex.latimes.com/science-2/bat-eating-spiders/

[NaturalHigh]

1. Yeah, no kidding.

I kind of have a thing about spiders anyway.

[TheBlackAdder]

2. Former BatCon Member. Owned Farm And Erected Bat Houses To Control Insects.

I owned a farm with various animals.

The horse flies would wreak havoc to the horses, llamas, chickens, cows, sheep, goats and even us. Even the cats and dogs would get bit by them or the mosquitoes that would come out mainly at dusk.

Throw up a couple of large bat houses and the vast majority of these pests will get eradicated.

http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/install-a-bat-house.html