Science Illustrated

Spiders Consume 800 Billion Kg

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Scientists have long tried to find out how many insects spiders consume, but it is very difficult to estimate, because one single fat moth is sufficient food for one or two days, whereas it requires lots of mosquitoes to satisfy a hungry spider. In connection with a few studies, scientists have experiment­ed with removing all the spiders of a small area. The number of insects grew tremendous­ly – sometimes to ten times as many. Other studies concluded that individual­s can consume 10-15 insects per day, but in other cases, several days pass between spiders consuming any food.

In 2017, two European scientists published a study concerning how much the total world population of spiders consumed annually. The result was a staggering 400-800 million tonnes of insects.

 ??  ?? ME CONSU S SPIDER MUCH AS TWICE ABOUT PEOPLE IN ALL MEATAS NED. COMBI WORLD THE Many spiders wrap up their prey. The toxin from the bite dissolves the insect, allowing the spider to consume it.
ME CONSU S SPIDER MUCH AS TWICE ABOUT PEOPLE IN ALL MEATAS NED. COMBI WORLD THE Many spiders wrap up their prey. The toxin from the bite dissolves the insect, allowing the spider to consume it.

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