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- Title
Arachnology: Scavenging by brown recluse spiders.
- Authors
Sandidge, Jamel S.
- Abstract
The brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is a threat to humans and establishes huge populations in urban habitats throughout central North America - more than 2,000 of these spiders were recorded in a single house in Kansas. What do these spiders eat in order to build and maintain such numbers? Here I combine laboratory prey-choice experiments with observations of the behaviour of L. reclusa in houses to show that this spider prefers dead, scavenged prey over live prey. This finding may explain how immense populations of these spiders can flourish even in adverse conditions.
- Subjects
NORTH America; BROWN recluse spider; ANIMAL behavior
- Publication
Nature, 2003, Vol 426, Issue 6962, p30
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/426030a