Via News.com.au:
An amazing image of a mammoth spider devouring a bird was taken in the backyard of a property near Cairns, Australia.
The photo, believed to have been taken earlier this week, shows the spider clenching its legs around a lifeless bird trapped in a web at a property near Atherton, west of Cairns.
Joel Shakespeare, the head spider keeper at NSW’s Australian Reptile Park, said the spider was a golden orb weaver.
“Normally they prey on large insects, it’s unusual to see one eating a bird,” he said. Shakepeare said he had seen golden orb weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.
Shakespeare said the bird, a chestnut-breasted mannikin which appears frozen in an angel-like pose in the pictures, is likely to have flown into the web and got caught.
“It wouldn’t eat the whole bird,” he said.
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Hey, who's the guy with the sword?
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November 2nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I believe a praying mantis will eat Humming birds.
Grace Says:February 28th, 2009 at 9:05 am
God point about this, nice summary.
smoothstone Says:February 28th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
:) The writers at Australian News get the credit.