Spiders Are Top Predators According To A Study; Can Consume Up To 800 Metric Tons Of Insects A Year?

A recent study reveals that spiders eat 400 to 800 metric tons of insects each year. This makes the arachnids to be on top of the predator chart.

According to a report, a study published in the journal the Science of Nature indicated that spiders eat insects with the same consumption that humans do with meat and fish each year. Dr. Martin Nyffeler, a scientist at the University of Basel and the lead author of the study, indicated that the weight of insects killed each year by the British spider population is more than the combined weight of the human population.

Nyffeler has been inspired by the 1958 book titled A World of Spiders by William Bristowe. Nyffler then studied spiders in the fields and spent several hours doing so. He also gathered spider ecology studies that have been published around the world.

He shared that these hours of study on spiders was needed for him to be able to publish his findings. For four decades he was able to gather enough information on how much the spiders consume each year. The study on the spider being a top predator has not been intended to scare anyone but rather it is an awareness that these creatures are important in the web of the global food chain.

A report indicated that spiders have exceptional survival skills. Spiders go wherever there is food despite the climate. They could be found in the Arctic or in the deserts and still survive. Spiders are present all throughout the globe and they prey on insects whenever they can.

Meanwhile, there are 45,000 known spider species and they all eat meat. Aside from being hunters and survivor, these spiders are also food to other species. Spiders are eaten by 8000 species of birds and there are other animals on Earth that feed exclusively on spiders.