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Earth Science

Vegetarian Spider Described 162

Posted by kdawson from the lacto-ovo dept.
Smivs writes with word on a spider, Bagheera kiplingi, that dines almost exclusively on plants. "The recently described species of jumping spider, discovered by researchers from Villanova and Brandeis Universities, dines on the protein rich tips of acacias, the thorny shrubs found in much of Central America. ... The species of acacia... favored by the Bagheera kiplingi has protein-rich leaf tips and nutritious sap to reward its [symbiotic ant] protectors. ... The Bagheera kiplingi has essentially evolved to steal from the mouths of the ants. These agile, inquisitive jumping spiders can leap up to 50 times their own body lengths... Competition for prey in the spider world is fierce. The Bagheera kiplingi's ancestors took the reflexes evolved for hunting and adapted into a creature that uses them for ant evasion."
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Vegetarian Spider Described More

Vegetarian Spider Described

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  • Semi-Vegetarian (Score:5, Informative)

    by lyinhart ( 1352173 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @05:39PM (#29738499)
    From TFA: "The truth is, this spider isn’t a complete vegetarian – more of a flexitarian: it still snacks on the occasional ant attacker or ant larvae." So it's kind of like those people who say they're vegetarian, but "eat a little fish" or "a little beef."

    I'm still waiting for PETA [peta.org] to release some propaganda relating to this story...

    • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @05:42PM (#29738547)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:Semi-Vegetarian (Score:5, Interesting)

      by AP31R0N ( 723649 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @06:38PM (#29739085)

      As a vegetarian, i find the term flexitarian annoying. It's like a saying "I'm a virgin because I only do it doggy style". i'm also annoyed by people who say they are lacto-ovo-pollo-pesci vegetarian. They just don't eat cows. No need to label that! Seems more like they are trying to have a trendy label of their own. i'm not looking for a label, i generally avoid mentioning it at all. i just order what i want.

      There's no reason to call this spider vegetarian. It's a spider that eats mostly plants and the occasional bug. It would be more accurate to say omnivore. The term vegetarian couldn't apply to a non-sapient animal. A dog that eats nothing but veggies isn't vegetarian, it's just eating what is available. It's not making a *choice* to not eat animals. These spiders aren't making a choice either. They're following instinct to find an easier source of food. It's an evolutionary change in strategy. For me, it is a choice. i am an omnivore choosing to not eat other animals. These spiders aren't troubled over the treatment of factory farm animals, or worried about cholesterol or anything else. They're just avoiding a crowded field of competition for food.

      Yeah, it's very novel to see a spider nomming on plant matter, but rushing to call it vegetarian is as inane as calling anyone wearing all black goth. They might just be wearing all black... or they might be a juggalo or Marylin Manson fan... or....

      The other thing that bugs me is how much other people obsess about what i'm NOT eating.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by ChameleonDave ( 1041178 )

        Indeed. I came here to point out much the same thing: it may be OK for the mainstream media to dumb down their reporting by using the anthropomorphic term "vegetarian" (a word referring to a philosophy) instead of the correct term "herbivore" (or, in this case, "omnivore"), but this is supposed to be news for nerds.

        And yes, it's annoying that a sizeable proportion of the comments modded up as insightful on here will essentially be saying "I eat meat. Some people don't. LOL".

      • Re:Semi-Vegetarian (Score:5, Funny)

        by dakameleon ( 1126377 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @07:00PM (#29739273)

        They just don't eat cows. No need to label that!

        Err, how about "Hindu"?

        (and before I get the brigade marching in here claiming all manner of insults, I'm Hindu).

      • Yeah, it's very novel to see a spider nomming on plant matter, but rushing to call it vegetarian is as inane as calling anyone wearing all black goth. They might just be wearing all black... or they might be a juggalo or Marylin Manson fan... or....

        Or as a tribute to the original Man In Black [youtube.com].

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Trogre ( 513942 )

        So why should you deserve a label, while others don't?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AP31R0N ( 723649 )

          Can someone call themselves abstinent because they only have sex doggy. style? Why do Christians balk when someone points out that Hitler was a Christian? The lacto-ovo-pesci-pollo crowd are meat eaters... who call themselves vegetarian BECAUSE they want the label. They want the label virgin because they do it every way except doggy style. It's a bit of a slap in the face to people who actually live up to it. i've played the video game SOCOM, does that make a special forces bad ass? i could say i was

      • Yeah, it's very novel to see a spider nomming on plant matter, but rushing to call it vegetarian is as inane as calling anyone wearing all black goth. They might just be wearing all black...

        Aparently it's changed since we were young. "Goth" is a sad 90's sub-culture, but wearing black and mopping around while declaring your hate for everything is "Emo" (which I think is short for emotionally crippled fashion victim).

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by Taevin ( 850923 ) *

          wearing black and mopping around

          They can be Emo all they want as long as they keep the floors clean!

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by genner ( 694963 )

        The term vegetarian couldn't apply to a non-sapient animal.

        What would you call an animal that eats only vegatables and would starve itself if you gave it only meat?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by PCM2 ( 4486 )

        For me, it is a choice. i am an omnivore choosing to not eat other animals. These spiders aren't troubled over the treatment of factory farm animals, or worried about cholesterol or anything else.

        Perhaps I'm quibbling, but I hope you see that what is true of the spider is also true of a lot of human vegetarians, as well.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AP31R0N ( 723649 )

          Indeed, there are myriad reasons for people choosing to be vegetarian. i wouldn't say you're quibbling. i just didn't feel like typing out pages of reasons.

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by osu-neko ( 2604 )

        The term vegetarian couldn't apply to a non-sapient animal.

        At least, not without confusing people who lack the intelligence to figure out when people are speaking figuratively.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AP31R0N ( 723649 )

          Scientists and science reporters shouldn't speak figuratively. It's an incorrect and misleading use of the word.

          "Pi is exactly 3. Figuratively speaking."

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by drinkypoo ( 153816 )

        As an omnivore who knows what shape his teeth are (I see them in the mirror every morning, more slashdotters ought to try looking in one occasionally) I find anyone who wants to talk about how vegetarian they are critically annoying, and I was born and "raised" in Santa Cruz which is hippie to the tits. Because it's a college town it's full of young people (I finally get to say that, although I noticed this when I was younger than they were) desperately trying to attach a label to themselves that will make

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AP31R0N ( 723649 )

          "As an omnivore who knows what shape his teeth are"

          Walk up to a cow and start biting. If you survive the kick we can talk about teeth and bite strength. However, if you can catch up to it, kill it without tools and eat it without cooking or seasoning it, more power to you.

          "I find anyone who wants to talk about how Christian/Straight Edge/$other_Philosophy they are critically annoying"

          FtfY

          Fat people are annoyed by healthy people talking about how eat and exercise.

          "desperately trying to attach a label to th

          • Walk up to a cow and start biting. If you survive the kick we can talk about teeth and bite strength.

            Obviously, as a tool user, I am considerably more evolved than you are.

            Fat people are annoyed by healthy people talking about how eat and exercise.

            Living without consuming animals is not healthy. It's harmful to every part of the body.

            Don't confuse your personal experiences/anecdotes with evidence. i've never once harassed anyone about eating animals. If someone attacked me first, i've occasional fired back, but haven't done so in about 10 years. But for you i'll make an exception.

            You blathered first. Yawn!

            You might reflect on people being lazy and selfish for a time.

            You're too lazy to run down a cow.

            Do you also use the term feminazi?

            The person in question is a very good friend of mine, who used these very words to describe herself. And yes, I do use the word feminazi, but only when confronted by a feminist who insists that men are the root of all evil. Which, frankly, is most of them. Feminism is like unions; a good idea

        • Excuse me, what is the difference? Perhaps the meat available to you (at least as far as your body knows) isn't very good, and so your body makes you want to eat vegetables. You think that it's a conscious decision because people like to analyze stuff, but that doesn't mean that you actually made a conscious decision. I'm not saying you didn't, but I argue that it's more likely that you're rationalizing something.

          There are plenty of vegetarians who like meat, but choose not to eat it for a variety of reason

          • Human beings can survive perfectly fine on a diet of just vegetables as a matter of biology

            No, they can't. Vitamin B12 is only available in meat, dairy, and eggs. Period. Citation [vegsoc.org]. Quote:

            The only reliable unfortified sources of vitamin B12 are meat, dairy products and eggs. There has been considerable research into possible plant food sources of B12. Fermented soya products, seaweeds and algae have all been proposed as possible sources of B12. However, analysis of fermented soya products, including temp

            • Fine.

              Human beings can survive perfectly fine on a diet that does not include meat as a matter of biology.

              So veganism is only a viable choice in the modern world of vitamin-enriched foods, but that's not vegetarianism. Luck thing a large portion of humanity evolved the ability to process milk sugars as adults, am I right?

              • Human beings can survive perfectly fine on a diet that does not include meat as a matter of biology.

                That's splitting hairs. Milk and eggs are still animal products, and there are many who would object to their consumption.

                The simple fact is we've evolved over millions of years to consume a diet that includes meat. Hell, it's the entire reason we were able to evolve these huge brains of ours: only meat could provide the density of calories needed such that the surplus could be used to fuel an oversized br

                • That's splitting hairs. Milk and eggs are still animal products, and there are many who would object to their consumption.

                  Yes and they're called "vegans". People who only object to killing animals for food, aka "vegetarians", don't mind eating animal byproducts including unfertilized eggs. I don't think killing vs not killing is splitting hairs.

                  Oh and it also gets to your point about B12 being unavailable from unfortified vegetables, so unless you were just nitpicking, it's a valid point.

                  The simple fact i

      • Making a choice is NOT relevant. It's what you eat, not why you eat it that defines 'vegetarian'

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AP31R0N ( 723649 )

          Hey Rotsky,

          You should read more of the responses before posting. You missed the bit about the difference between herbivore and vegetarian. Cows aren't vegetarian, they are herbivores. A dog that eats nothing but veggies is not a vegetarian, it's an omnivore. i'm an omnivore. Being vegetarian is a choice made by a non-herbivore. If a kid has no access to animals as food, he isn't vegetarian. He hasn't chosen to be so. Got it?

          You're right about the "why", why isn't the issue with who is or isn't veget

      • Besides all that, there's already a perfectly valid term to use to describe a spider that eats only plants (ignoring that "occasional ant attacker or ant larvae" thing for a second): an Herbivore. That's an animal that eats only plants. A vegetarian, as you said, is an animal (such as a human) that *can* eat meat but makes a conscious decision to only eat plants.

      • Not a vegetarian myself, but I agree that they should not call this spider vegetarian. When talking about animal diets, there are 3 main categories:

        Hebivores: Consume mainly plants.
        Carnivores: Consume mainly other animals.
        Omnivores: Consume a mix of plants and animals.

        Depending on how frequently this spider eats other animals, it would most likely be classified as an herbivore or an omnivore. I believe humans are classified as omnivores, but some make a choice to eat only plants(are there any meatatarians?)

      • Vegetables are factory farmed, mono-cropped, and do have a nervous system. They are alive, and if those carrots stared back at you from your plate with big Bambi eyes, would you still eat them?

        Just say that you are an animal chauvinist and be done with it.

    • PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals?

    • And I resent your insinuation.

    • Well, that would *sort of* make the name make sense. Bagheera was a black panther in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (read it if you haven't, to yourself or to your kids), who was most definitely carnivorous. I can understand taking your possibly only chance to name a spider to honor (or honour, I guess) Kipling, but it seems odd to name a vegetarian spider after an accomplished hunter.

  • Well, plenty of arachnids are vegetarians. (Score:5, Informative)

    by Rei ( 128717 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @05:39PM (#29738503) Homepage

    For example, spider mites. Infestations of them are frustratingly difficult to get rid of. They're so tiny that it stretches the bounds of human vision to spot them -- although their webbing is generally easily visible when infestations are bad. Their mouthpieces are designed to cut open individual plant cells. Since they're not insects, many conventional insecticides don't work on them -- for example, acetamiprid.

    Of course, then there are the predatory mites that eat the spider mites...

  • Their go the friendship prospects with the neighbourhood arachnids.

  • writes on a spider (Score:4, Funny)

    by emeraldemon ( 1167599 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @05:45PM (#29738579)
    "Smivs writes with word on a spider..." My first thought when reading this was "What kind of computer is a spider?" followed by "Why isn't he using Open Office?"

  • Keep Reading... (Score:5, Funny)

    by swanzilla ( 1458281 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @05:51PM (#29738637) Homepage
    FTA:

    Plesiometa Argyra is a fairly common fly and mosquito catching spider in Costa Rica. Every day of its life it weaves a flimsy circular web to catch its prey - unless it gets stung by a Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga wasp. That’s where this spider’s life gets, well, very interesting. The wasp sting briefly paralyzes the spider and eventually turns it into a zombie.

    Unfortunately, one must read about a boring vegetarian spider to find out that there exists something as mind-blowing as a zombie spider

  • More evidence that Vegetarianism is emasculating (Score:3, Funny)

    by guidryp ( 702488 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @05:54PM (#29738683)

    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012121331.htm [sciencedaily.com]

    " with hints of males helping to care for eggs and young, another behavior that is virtually unknown among spiders. "

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rei ( 128717 )

      Yeah! In what sort of crazy species would the males help care for the young? :P

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Chris Burke ( 6130 )

      " with hints of males helping to care for eggs and young, another behavior that is virtually unknown among spiders. "

      Yeah... considering the number of species where the male gets the hell out of dodge as soon as they fertilize the female so they don't get eaten, I'm not so sure a species where the male is confident enough to stick around is a sign of emasculation. :)

  • and settled down as a benign vegetarian

    give that spider the nobel peace prize

  • I Guess 'Omnivore' is Not as Exciting... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by RudeIota ( 1131331 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @06:51PM (#29739199) Homepage
    For example:
    "Surreal" Vegetarian Spider Found -- A First [nationalgeographic.com]

    "Though the spider does occasionally snack on ant larvae, the bulk of their diet is plants" -- Meehan said.

    "Vegetarian Spider" results: 118 [google.com]
    "Omnivore Spider" results: 2 [google.com] (both unrelated)

    Are they vegetarian? Absolutely not. But it sounds good.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dbet ( 1607261 )
      Meh, why must "vegetarian" mean only plants rather than primarily plants?

      Anyway, if you want to really mess with vegetarians, remind them that mushrooms are not plants. Therefore, almost no human is a vegetarian (since most eat mushrooms). Right?

  • OLD NEWS (Score:2, Informative)

    by Subverted ( 1436551 )
    This spider is not news... it was last August, but not now... I mean...anyone that knows anything about spiders has known about it for over a year, it was even covered in major publications. Congrats on being late to the party like most of the internet.
    • And how many people here do you honestly believe follow the world of spiders? Do I get to make fun of you now for not knowing the stats of various football players, or anime release times, or some other bullshit you're normally not interested in? This is a story because it was finally published, which means it's cast to a broader audience than just arachnophiles. Get off your high horse.
  • it is almost like the spider evolved because of the challenge to be vegetarian (or omnivore) more than vegetarian being an easy food source.

  • Since they've discovered a vegetarian spider... (Score:3, Funny)

    by hyades1 ( 1149581 ) <hyades1@hotmail.com> on Tuesday October 13, 2009 @10:07PM (#29740635)

    ...can a flesh-eating hamster be far behind?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rei ( 128717 )

      I'll do you one better: deer that eat the skulls of their live victims [nationalgeographic.com].

      I've personally seen a squirrel eating a dead bird. It held the wing in its mouth the same cute way they hold a nut. Rather creepy.

      Back to rodent pets: I had a friend a long time ago who was doing experiments feeding caffeine to mice and observing the effects on their behavior. They refused to drink their water with the (bitter) caffeine in it at first, so he had to sweeten it. He steadily increased their dose, and then suddenly cut

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