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You might be shocked to find out that spiders are some of the most disrespectful creatures out there, going so far as to inhale their parents if the situation arises. Repeated instances of matriphagy- the act of eating mothers- has been noted among several species of anarchids, generally out of compulsion and an odd survival choice. Accord
When young spiderlings of the black lace-weaver spider, or Amaurobius ferox, are born, they’re obviously hungry, as babies tend to be. At first, this hunger is borne from the horrifying act of their mother feeding them “trophic eggs,” which are unfertilized eggs meant to serve as food. Eventually, once hooked to this dish, the spiderlings eat not only the eggs but also their moms offering them the delicacy.
Australian crab spiders known as Australomisidia ergandros have also come up with this interesting approach to parenting. Though there are some similarities to the black lace-weaver, there are also some key differences. For starters, these spiders are only able to lay one clutch of eggs. But more importantly, Australian crab spiders are incapable of getting trophic eggs out of their body. And so, their next of kin has no choice but to tear into their mothers-turned-spider-scotch-egg.
Like some birds do, the mothers of a species of desert spider known as Stegodyphus lineatus regurgitate digested food for their babies to feed on. It’s when her stores of food run dry that things get nasty. As she starts to empty her reserves, she begins to liquefy the entirety of her innards, producing a backup snack out of her internal organs. After about two weeks, inner-dinner is ready. The spider-children suck the husk of their late mother dry, leaving only an exoskeleton where mommy used to be.
The Stegodyphus dumicola is better known as the “African social spider.” In process, it’s very similar to the previous entry, with the mothers producing a nutritious little form of spider formula made from their insides, leading to death. The social spider does add a fun little twist to the mix, where sisters and cousins have a chance to end up as a jar of spider Gerber as well.
There are a few cases of matriphagy outside of arachnids, including in a specific species of earwigs — the hump earwig, or Anechura harmandi. But the hump earwig does away with all the complications, preferring the straightforward simplicity of chowing down on mom like the main course it deserves.
