Many species of spiders, such as the black widow, can kill and devour snakes that are several times larger than their bodies, according to a study published in the journal Arachnology, which evaluates 319 documented cases.
Half of the cases have been observed in the United States and a third of the cases are in Australia. According to Martin Nyffeler, an expert and fellow at the University of Basel, Whitfield Gibbons, and a fellow at the University of Georgia in the United States, reports were about 90 species of snakes that fell prey to about 40 species of spiders.
Spiders are particularly successful at cutting prey: nearly 90 percent of captured snakes were killed by spiders, according to the study, only 1.5 percent managed to escape on their own, and the rest were saved by humans.
Spiders can also kill and devour snakes that grow up to one meter in size, but this is often done with very young, newly hatched animals.
The most successful hunter is the black widow belonging to the family of dwarf spiders (Theridiidae), helped by predation of neurotoxin specialized in vertebrates and a particularly powerful network. Even snake venom does not deter arthropods.
The red-backed spider easily deals with the fake cobra belonging to the cobra family, which is one of the most dangerous and poisonous snakes in the world.
