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Invertebrates preying on vertebrates
Topic Started: Mar 27 2015, 03:06 PM (6,860 Views)
Creeper
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Carboniferous Arthropod



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Mantids have no mercy, they usually start to eat their prey before it is dead



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Araneamorphs really get underrated or overshadowed by Theraphosids but as you can see they are fully capable of taking vertebrates. With the aid of webbing they can actually come take prey hundreds of times their own weight.

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Ceratodromeus
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An interesting topic! Predation on anurans, as well as toads, is a well documented phenomenon. I know of two different studies documenting such. one, of which, Predation on amphibians by spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) in the Neotropical region(Meninn et. Al (2005), I will quote sections of.
Cases of predation:
- Stephen's rocket frog
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on 18 May 2004 a juvenile male ctenid spider Ctenus amphora (16.4 mm) was observed eating an adult female C. stepheni (18.4 mm) on a leaf from a shrub about 0.30 m above the ground

-Lesser tree frog
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on 6 March 2004 a juvenile male pisaurid spider Ancylometes rufus (26.1 mm) was observed eating an adult D. minutus (ca. 22 mm) (Figure 1B). The spider was found perched on a leaf 0.50 m above the water surface of a temporary pond. The right side of the body, head and trunk of the frog had been eaten; the left hind and fore limbs were intact, but it was impossible to determine the sex of the frog. On 7 March 2004, in the same pond, a male A. rufus (31.0 mm) was observed about 0.05 m above water surface on a leaf preying on a gravid female D. minutus (24.5 mm). The spider was holding the hylid with its pedipalps and first pair of legs, and the chelicerae penetrated the side of the frog. The spider released the frog when disturbed. The frog was still alive, but floated motionless in the water.

-lowland tropical bullfrog
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on 14 January 2004 a male A. rufus (ca. 30 mm) was observed eating a female leptodactylid A. andreae (ca. 24 mm) on the leaf-litter (Figure 1C). The spider held the hylid with its pedipalps and the chelicerae penetrated the head of the frog. The frog struggled briefly and was completely immobilized. On 15 March 2004 a juvenile ctenid spider Ctenus villasboasi (18.5 mm) was observed eating an adult male A. andreae (20.9 mm). The spider was perched on a shrub’s leaf about 0.50 m above the ground, with its chelicerae in the head of the frog. At the time, the frog was still alive and completely immobilized. About one hour later, the frog was dead with the region of the head partially eaten. On 1 May 2004 a juvenile ctenid spider Ctenus sp. (8.0 mm) was observed capturing a juvenile A. andreae (11.5mm) on the leaf-litter at afternoon. The frog struggled briefly, but was completely immobilized after about 60 seconds.

Small frogs are easy game for small spiders, as they really have no efficient means of fighting back. I've always been intrigued by the webspinners being able to catch large vertebratal animals in their webs, quite the hefty meal for them in a lot of cases!
As in this case of predation on a bat
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Here's a wolf spider(?) Taking a skink
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Another, rather small spider taking a gecko
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Another web builder -- couldn't tell ya the species -- this time taking a snake
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Here's another
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Here's an emperor scorpion with a snake it had killed, can't find too many instances of this occurring
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In regards to literature I've found on scorpion predating lizards, here's some info from Interactions between lizards (Podareis hispaniea atrata) and scorpions (Buthus occitanus) in the Columbretes Islands(Castilla 1995)
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I accidentally observed predation of hatchling lizards by scorpions. In August 1992 at about 23:00 hours, a large scorpion was seen transporting a small lizard on its back (A. Sánchez, pers. comm.). In July 1993, at 17:30 hours, an adult scorpion attacked a hatchling (29.8 mm snout-vent length and 0.5 9 mass). The juvenile was kept in an outdoor terrarium (100x20x50 cm) filled with sand, plants, cover, food and water. The scorpion aceidentally entered in the terrarium without being previously detected by the observer. The scorpion which was hidden under plants, suddenly injected his pincher into the abdomen of the lizard and held its body and head with its pincers during few minutes until the juvenile was paralysed by the venom. Afterwards, the scorpion released the lizard, handled it and put it on its back to be transported to cover. Immediately afterwards, the scorpion broke and subdued the lizard's tail. I have never seen scorpions eating adult lizards, even though they share retreats under rocks during late afternoon and night.

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My observations indicate that each species functions as predator and prey of the other species. Interactions between a vertebrate (lizard) and an invertebrate (scorpion) provide an example of 'cross predation', that is, vertebrates are simultaneously the prey and the predator of the same species of invertebrate (McCormick & Polis, 1982).


Another mantis/ bird predation event
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And another, from the Texas ornithological society
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Documented instances of predation on adult hummingbirds in temperate latitudes are rare and predation is not a significant risk factor for adult hummingbirds in temperate latitudes (Miller and Gass 1985). The Tiny Hawk (Accipiter superciliosus) however may specialize on hummingbirds in the New World tropics (Stiles 1978). Even though predation on adult hummingbirds is rarely observed, a variety of predators have been documented, including raptors (Beebe 1950, Lowery 1938, Mayr 1966, Peeters 1963, Sick 1993, Sprot 1927, Stiles 1978), other birds Sick 1993, Wright 1962), mammals (Bent 1964, Sick 1993), snakes (Sick 1993), frogs (Monroe 1957, NorrisElye 1944), and fish (Lockwood 1922). There are also three documented cases of mantid (Mantissp.) predation on adult hummingbirds (Butler 1949, Hildebrand 1949, Murray 1958). All three cases involved the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), and in each case the hummingbird and mantid were separated by the observer. Here I report a case of a Carolina Mantid (Stagmomantis carolina) capturing a hummingbird. On August 22, 2005 while observing hummingbirds in Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso County, Texas I observed a Carolina Mantid capture and feed on a first-year female Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus). Franklin Mountains State Park covers 9812 hectares within the city limits of El Paso and includes a variety of habitats ranging from desert to mountains up to 2192 m in elevation. Broadtailed Hummingbirds breed and migrate throughout higher elevation areas in West Texas with males moving south earlier than females (Calder and Calder 1992). While observing hummingbirds in an area containing a spring and cottonwoods (Populussp.) and brush attractive to migrant birds, I noted several Broad-tailed Hummingbirds feeding on a flowering thistle (Cirsiumsp.) at approximately five minute intervals. After an hour of continued observation, a shrill squeak attracted my attention to the flowering thistle. Upon closer inspection I found that a Carolina Mantid had clasped a first-year female Broad-tailed Hummingbird, which struggled for another minute before dying (Fig. 1). The mantid started feeding along the neckline of the hummingbird and blood became visible. I continued watching the scene from a distance, and other Broad-tailed Hummingbirds continued to visit the flowering thistle. After feeding, the hummingbirds would hover for a few seconds in front of the mantid and dead hummingbird. When I left the area an hour later the mantid was still clasping and feeding on the hummingbird. This marks an additional documented record of a Carolina Mantid capturing a hummingbird species and one of only a few documented records of predation on adult Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. An earlier report documents a male impaled on a barbed wire fence as a result of either shrike (Laniussp.) or American Kestrel predation (Calder and Calder 1992). The present record also suggests that predation by mantids on adult hummingbirds is not confined to hummingbird feeder or garden settings where most observations have occurred (Miller and Gass 1985). The Carolina Mantid is the most widespread mantid in the United States, ranging from Virginia to Florida, northeast to Indiana and west to California and Mexico (Milne and Milne 1980). Its range overlaps with the majority of hummingbird species found in the United States, most of which are similar in size or smaller than the Broad-tailed Hummingbird and could potentially be predated by Carolina Mantids. Based on this observation and other documented and anecdotal reports predation on hummingbirds by mantids may be more widespread than currently reflected by the published literature.

Even crabs are known to take vertebrates, as in this instance:
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We recorded the incidence of predation on snakes by the amphibious freshwater land crab Eudaniela garmani (manicou crab) in the rainforests of the Caribbean island of Tobago during 168 days of field observation (spanning a 4-year period) conducted between the hours of 08.00 AM and 12.00 noon and 21.00 PM and 23.30 PM. Six instances of manicou crabs eating snakes were observed and photographed. Field notes are given for each predation event, and photographs are presented for three of these: clouded slug-eating snake, Sibon nebulata nebulata, three-lined snake, Atractus trilineatus, and vine snake, Oxybelis aeneus. We conclude that the potential predation pressure placed on local snake populations by manicou crabs merits investigation.

http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/20021975-99990331
Unfortunately I don't have open access to that one..
Edited by Ceratodromeus, Mar 27 2015, 04:18 PM.
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bitisgabonica
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what about goliath taruntalas taking on snakes such as fer de lance?
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Creeper
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bitisgabonica
Mar 27 2015, 11:53 PM
what about goliath taruntalas taking on snakes such as fer de lance?

Like this?

There was a nice video of a B. vagans carrying off a coral snake to its burrow. The spiders movements were very athletic.

Here is another A. rufus observation from August 2010:
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At approximately 20:00 hours, a male of A. rufus (21.5 mm total body length) was observed (by MRM) predating an adult D. melanargyreus (40.9 mm snout-vent length) under a dry leaf (Figure 1), one m from the bank of a stream. The observation lasted at least five minutes, and during this time the spider had already captured the tree frog with the aid of its pedipalps, having its right chelicerae claw inserted near the prey's left eye. At the beginning of the observation, the tree frog was attempting to pull back, away from the predator, with the help of its hind legs. Subsequently, the prey was subdued and immobilized by the spider. At this moment, in an attempt of the observer to capture the specimens, the spider dropped its prey and tried to escape.

It would appear that A. rufus is especially proficient at hunting frogs, this one was much larger than it. Maybe it's common name should be changed to Giant Frogging Spider instead of fishing.

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Would love to get more access to this one:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-185X.1982.tb00363.x/abstract
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Ceph
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Edited by Ceph, Mar 28 2015, 12:36 PM.
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Creeper
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Carboniferous Arthropod



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Ceratodromeus
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(From: The role of predation in shaping crocodilian natural history)
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Ceph
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I already posted this in the Anthopleura xanthogrammica profile but I thought it might get more views here.
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Choeradodis
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a lot of stomatopod
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Mirounga leonina
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Jellyfish eating some fish in a tank

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Ceratodromeus
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Posted this in the fer de lance profile
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Ceratodromeus
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Creeper posted this on the carnivora facebook page!
NSW farmer finds victorious daddy-long-legs killing brown snake
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Farmer and photographer Patrick Lees discovered the victorious and often-timid spider wrapping up its much larger prey in a web at his farm near Weethalle in the NSW central west, uploading it to his The Aussie Farmer Facebook page.

Mr Lees told the ABC he had heard tales of spiders vanquishing snakes before but he had never seen one hand a snake its tail with his own eyes.
"I've heard about it, but I've never seen it, let alone a daddy-long-legs," Mr Lees said.
The snake was a juvenile, about one-metre long, but much larger than its predator.

Mr Lees left the harvestman and snake where it was and a number of reinforcements later arrived to help wrap it in web from head to tail.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/30802558/nsw-farmer-finds-victorious-daddy-long-legs-killing-brown-snake/

side note; i did mention in a comment else where that this was a juvenile brown snake when i first saw the photo(not that it takes away from this very impressive predatory feat), but people didn't believe me lol

Edited by Ceratodromeus, Feb 14 2016, 03:31 AM.
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Vivyx
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Goliath Bird Eating Spider eating Fer-de-Lance

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Camel Spider eats Gecko:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hru2ujTWNLA

Greater Arid-land Katydid eats gecko:

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Account of Armoured Bush Cricket eating nestling Red-billed Quelea:

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Edited by Vivyx, Apr 15 2017, 02:12 AM.
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Creeper
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Ceratodromeus
Feb 14 2016, 03:30 AM
Mr Lees left the harvestman and snake where it was and a number of reinforcements later arrived to help wrap it in web from head to tail.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/30802558/nsw-farmer-finds-victorious-daddy-long-legs-killing-brown-snake/


I guess they need to do more research, this is clearly not a harvestman, harvestmen have no way to produce web. Unless of course this type of spider is called a harvestman in NSW?
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Grimace
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It's a cellar spider, not a harvestman!
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