3 remarkable spiders: A vegetarian, a vampire and a predator that uses 'pincer, fork and key'

There are an estimated 50,000 species of spider living on Earth, from behemoths like the giant huntsman and goliath birdeater, down to the tiniest, the dwarf orb weaver and Patu digua. In this extract from "The Lives of Spiders: A Natural History of the World's Spiders" (Princeton University Press, 2024), author Ximena Nelson looks at the three species with unusual diets — plants, blood and pill bugs.

Vegetarian spider

Scientific name: Bagheera kiplingi

Family: Salticidae

Body length: 1∕5–¼ in (5–6 mm)

Notable anatomy: Males have iridescent green markings on cephalothorax and abdomen

Memorable feature: Primarily vegetarian

A spider is an unlikely vegetarian, but Bagheera kiplingi almost fits the bill. Supplementing its diet with nectar, ant larvae, and nectar-feeding flies, this jumping spider feeds almost entirely on Beltian bodies, the detachable fat and protein-rich leaf tips of Vachellia acacia shrubs.