Gallery: Engrossingly Gross Photos of Spiders and Insects Eating Each Other
01Suck On That, Wasp
This lynx spider avoided being turned into wasp food and instead turned the wasp into spider food. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
02Assassin Bug
Assassin bugs (*Acanthaspis sp.*) decorate themselves with the corpses of their consumed prey. There are several reasons for this behavior, none of which really measure up to the totality of this monstrosity. First, the corpses form a protective "meat shield." Second, the corpses provide olfactory camouflage -- they mask the assassin bug's scent. Third...and most vile...they allow the assassin bug to infiltrate ant colonies while posing as one of the ants' own. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
03Spider Eating Frog
Spiders are capable of eating many things larger than themselves. Birds, rodents, bats, and...frogs? Here, an orb-weaving garden spider (*Parawixia sp.*) devours a frog that got caught in its web. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
04Jumping Spiders
Jumping spiders (*Salticidae*) are among the more adorable arachnids, but even these fuzzy, big-eyed spiders engage in a most spidery behavior: cannibalism. In other words, that spider is not carrying its baby like a kitten. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
05Robberfly Eating Fly
As if catching and eating this fly weren't triumph enough, this robberfly has decided to suck its prey's innards out through its eye. Robberflies: evil. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
06Crab Spider
"I was observing this butterfly fluttering around and noticed it make its final struggle on a flower," Bay says. A crab spider that had been hiding in the flower was now grabbing hold of its meal. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
07Spider Wasps Are Evil
Spider wasps are evil. Instead of killing their arachnid prey, they paralyze it. Then they take the spider back to their nest. Then they lay eggs in its abdomen. Then, when those eggs hatch, the little wasplings emerge and feed on the still-alive, still-paralyzed spider. Guess what? That's not all. Sometimes, spider wasps completely dismember their paralyzed prey before hauling the legless arachnid to its fate as an incubator. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
08Wandering Spider
Eight of these legs belong to a wandering spider; the other eight belong to its prey. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
09Net-Casting Spider
The ogre-face spider's enormous eyes detect movement in nearly complete darkness. It spins a web, suspends it between its front legs, and waits for unsuspecting prey to wander by. Then, with a lunge, the spider tosses the net over its prey. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
10Robberfly Eating Spider
Even large spiders are sometimes preyed upon in their own webs, especially if the predator doesn't stick to their sticky silk. Here, a robberfly (*Leptograstinae*) is feasting on a large golden orb weaver (*Nephila*). *Photo: Nicky Bay*
11Robberfly
Robberflies are powerful and efficient predators, capable of catching smaller flies in mid-air. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
12Crab Spider Ambush
Crab spiders (*Thornisidae*) are masters of camouflage. Some species even change color to blend in with whatever they're parked on. Here, a crab spider collects its ant while several smaller critters fly in for freebies. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
13Scorpion v. Centipede
Dear House Centipede: We know you think you're huge, but in reality, there's always a bigger arthropod. Like that scorpion behind you. Cheers. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
14Deceptive Prey Spider
These Portia spiders choose an arachnid victim and pretend to be prey, behaving as though they've been trapped by their victim's sticky threads. Then, when the host approaches...they pounce. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
15Ribbon Worm Puzzle
We're not sure exactly what's going on here, but it's a ribbon worm dangling its cockroach supper. *Photo: Nicky Bay*
