Filmmakers have captured unique and terrifying footage of young spiders eating their mothers and other older relatives en masse.
The footage shows more than 1,000 young African social spiders (Stegodyphus dumicola) leaving their nest in search of food. The babies appear to be playing a creepy version of “statue,” moving around and then suddenly stopping before moving in sync again.
First, the young spiders attack an insect caught in the huge web that holds their nest together and begin to eat it, tearing its flesh while it is still alive. But when this food source dries up, the spiders turn to one of the mothers, whose condition quickly deteriorates after giving birth to many young.
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“The responsibilities of parenthood are starting to take their toll,” says British biologist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough in the narration for the video, which is part of a new five-part BBC series called Parenthood.
But the dying mother spider has a gift she cannot ignore: trembling, she waits for her offspring and their kin to pounce on her and devour her. “Her sacrifice is the ultimate self-sacrifice, driven by the need to ensure the survival of the next generation,” says Attenborough.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
