Researchers in Central America have discovered a spider that dines on plants. B. kiplingi evades dangerous ants to feast on the tips of the acacia plant.
In Mexico and Costa Rica, the researchers logged 72 hours of spider observation, noting more than 150 instances of vegetarian snacking. Beltian bodies made up more than 90% of the spiders' meals in Mexico. The Costa Rican spiders weren't as strict, dining 60% on Beltian bodies and the rest on acacia nectar, ant larvae, and other insects. In both places, the spiders were adept at evading the aggressive ants whose food they swiped. They're so agile that the ants "just can never catch them," Meehan says.
via ScienceMag
