Do spiders eat other spiders? (Warning: picture of small spiders)

[CarolynMartens]

I saw a small spider on my windowsill. Lockdown is exciting isn’t it? I realised there were 2 and I thought they might be mating. But looking again one looked like it held the head/body of the other in its legs (Exhibit A) before dropping it (Exhibit B). They both were still for a while but now the black one is moving. I didn’t realise spiders did this?

I apologise in advance for my old filthy windowsill.

Could it be one spider shedding its skin?

They do but this is one shedding

You see the new spider and it’s old skin

Oo a spider thread without screams!! Can I post my spider chart???

Spiders do each other spiders, but this one is a lone spider shedding its skin

Please??

Nervous to say this...but go on then windy

The OP's asked us to take this thread straight down as she fears the lockdown is taking its toll (and she's spending too much time on the web)...

Seriously?!

I think this thread is my version of a cry for help...

Woman up you people - - here goes...

Ah the well know nope ropes of the world

Windy that chart made my day 😂

I am a cleaner and sent it to all my customers!! Make them miss me more!!

I had no idea spiders shed their skins, just thought those things were dead spiders. 🕷

Yep.

My dad scared the life out of me once. I went into the kitchen when I was younger and saw a pot on the side. Opened and nearly had a heart attack as it was a massive tarantula skin

He was planning on using it for pranks.

Ironic thing is, he is more scared of them than I am as well as snakes,mice,rats,frogs,lizards and various other animals

Spider is moulting (shedding). I saw one do this once. Ended up stood for ages watching it. I'm easily distracted!

Look up tarantulas moulting on YouTube. People film them using time lapse. I don't know I search this stuff out but it's oddly fascinating!

Spiders are cannibals.

I hate spiders but I once lived in a house with Cellar spiders (Pholcidae) everywhere. When you hoovered 10 away, 10 came back in the following few days. We actually got kind of used to them. They didn't scuttle around, barely moved and hardly ever came away from the high corners of the rooms. In 7 years of living there we never saw a single big fucking scary bastard house spider at all.
When we moved we realised why. The Pholcidae eat them and our new house didn't have any Pholcidae spiders.
Shit.

The spindly ones that hang around in the corners of ceilings definitely eat other spiders. I've seen one do it in my bathroom. A chunky looking one was ambling along the side of the bath and Mr Spindly came abseiling down on a thread, bound Mr Chunky up in silk threads really fast, and winched him back up to the corner of the ceiling, where he ate him slowly over the course of days. I was fascinated.

Shudder.

I’ve not seen one eat another one. Yet. Probably as my cat tends to eat them all.....

Spiders eat anything that gets in their way.

The spindly ones are cellar spiders. If you have them there will be no other spiders in your house. When they have run out of spiders they turn on their human hosts.

That is both impressive and horrific thenightsky.

I’m not actually a big fan of spiders (Windy’s chart is borderline for me ) or tarantulas so please post a warning if anyone is going to post a pic!!

I'm scared witless of spiders except Cellar spiders and thank fuck I've loads in the house.

I want cellar spiders. I have too many non-cellar spiders. I dont especially mind running ones, deeply mind jumping ones. Youngest is fascinated by all creatures and follows them round as well as helpfully pointing out all the cobwebs. So helpful.

Dh went to the bathroom last night. Came out.
Then I followed him in.
There on the floor between wall and floor was a huge spider.
How the heck did you miss that I yelled?
He lost a lot of his peripheral vision in his stroke..that’s how..he yelled back
It took so long for him to sort it..I was beginning to think the bloomin spider was washing.
An hour later, I’m back in the bathroom and here’s another fucker between bath and floor.
Never seen any all winter and two in one night 😱
Oh and he made such a fuss over it..you’d think I’d asked him to grapple with a grizzly bear.