This article is an adaptation of our weekly Animals newsletter that was originally sent out on June 24, 2021. Want this in your inbox? Sign up here.
By Rachael Bale, ANIMALS Executive Editor
If you saw a spider attacking a snake, would you feel sorry for the snake? Or would you cheer the spider on?
Spiders and snakes are two of the most commonly feared animals, so it’s an interesting thought experiment—it forces you to decide which one you like more (or dread less). For many of you, thinking about either—not to mention both at the same time—may be more than enough to give you the heebie-jeebies.
This mash-up is on my mind thanks to this Nat Geo story by Jason Bittel, which reveals that scientists have identified at least 40 species of spiders that prey on at least 90 species of snakes, on every continent except Australia. (Pictured above, a spider preys on a snake in Peru’s Amazon rainforest; below, a black widow predator in West Virginia.) Spiders eating snakes is far more common than anyone realized, and it has all sorts of implications for how we understand ecosystem health, snake conservation, and spider behavior.
Perhaps surprisingly, it turns out a fair number of people are willing to intervene in spider attacks to try to save the snake, even if it’s venomous. Of the 319 spider-vs.-snake incidents researchers examined, 11 percent ended with a human stepping in.
How does a spider kill and eat a snake, anyway? You’ll have to read the story to find out.
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TODAY IN A MINUTE
Drilling questions: Two members of the U.S. Congress are urging a “thorough and coordinated investigation” into concerns raised by a series of National Geographic articles about a Canadian company’s oil and gas exploration in southern Africa’s spectacular and delicate Okavango region. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) want the attorney general, State Department, and other agencies to look into concerns about inadequate environmental studies, consultation with local communities, and more. The exploration work is occurring 160 miles upstream of the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The National Geographic Society funds our Wildlife Watch investigative unit, which is dedicated to shining a light on wildlife exploitation. Learn more.
Population decline: Drastic steps need to be taken to save the northern spotted owl, whose population is at its lowest on record. “We were anticipating that it would not be good, but we weren't quite ready for it to be as bad as it was,” Alan Franklin, a research biologist at USDA’s National Wildlife Research Center, tells Nat Geo. Logging, development, and threats from invasive birds have contributed to a 50 to 75 percent decline in the owls' numbers since 1995.
The elephant in the room: It was the first thing that came to Ratchadawan Puengprasoppo’s mind when she heard crashing and banging in her kitchen. Once there, she discovered an elephant’s head, poking through the wall. His trunk rummaged through the kitchen drawers, knocking pots and pans over. It wasn’t his first visit for a late-night meal, the Guardian reports.
The next COVID: Where will it emerge? Researchers crunched data from 10,000 locations for possible bat-to-human transmission of another coronavirus—and mapped out a series of hotspots. Yes, China is on the map—and so is France, Jillian Kramer writes. Check out the map here.
Why are these birds dying? Wildlife experts in at least six states and Washington, D.C., are reporting birds that are acting as if they are blind and not flying away when humans get close. They are part of a mysterious increase in deaths of blue jays, common grackles, and European starlings in the past month. Symptoms include crusty or puffy eyes and neurological signs of seizures, NBC News reports. “They’ll just sit still, often kind of shaking,” says avian biologist Kate Slankard.
Cat-tending technology: Now that you’ve gone back to the office, perhaps you need someone to watch over kitty. The Wall Street Journal features five gadgets that will leave your cat happy and healthy–from an automatic feeder to a litter-box cleaner.
INSTAGRAM PHOTO OF THE DAY
Leave this crab where you found it! There are 7,000 species of crabs on Earth, with looks ranging from scary to cute to surreal. Some species, such as that of this blind cave crab (Cerberusa tipula), have only been discovered in recent decades. This crab was found in Terikan River Cave, in Malaysian Borneo. Once Robbie Shone photographed the crustacean, it was placed back exactly where it was discovered.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Centenarian sea fish: Some fish get off to a slow start. The deep-sea coelacanth, a six-foot-long “living fossil” that has existed since the time of the dinosaurs, may carry their young for five years before giving birth. It may not reach full maturity until 55 years old, and it can live to be a hundred, a new study says. Its sluggish metabolism puts the critically endangered fish at even greater risk of extinction, Liz Langley reports. In fact, the coelacanth (pictured above, off South Africa) long was thought to be extinct before one was found in 1938.
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IN A FEW WORDS
There’s no easy way for a rattlesnake to defend itself with venom against a spider.
Emily Taylor, snake biologist, From: Snakes eat spiders around the world
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THE LAST GLIMPSE
See how they run: These mice may be blind, but they get around using sonar, researchers have found. A pygmy dormouse makes extremely high-pitched squeaks and listens to the echoes to get a sense of its surroundings—similar to bats and dolphins. A new study shows that all four types of soft-furred tree mice use echolocation, Nat Geo’s Douglas Main writes. (Pictured above, a Chinese pygmy dormouse photographed at the Moscow Zoo by Nat Geo Explorer Joel Sartore.)
This newsletter was curated and edited by David Beard and Monica Williams, and Jen Tse selected the images. Do you have an idea or a link for the newsletter? Let us know at david.beard@natgeo.com, and happy trails ahead.
