Spiders tend to divide the nation in a very clear way: on one side, you’ve got those who refuse to stand within even one inch of the insect, and on the other are those people who aren’t fussed about them in the slightest.
Admittedly, I used to be in the latter camp but as I’ve got older for some reason spiders give me the heebie jeebies.
Which is why when I saw what I’m about to show you, I got shivers down my spine and felt like running for the hills.
Here’s the moment a spider captured two wolf spiders in its web:
Terrifying, right? Who knew that spiders preyed on their own? Well, I guess you learn something new every day.
The two unfortunate spiders have somehow got entangled in the other’s web and it quickly makes the most of the opportunity by pulling them steadily towards it.
The spider spends some time weaving the web before darting towards its victims at incredible speed, entrapping the one closest to it.
From there, it works quickly, manoeuvring itself around the trapped wolf spider so that it can weave its web to fully trap its prey.
Once satisfied that it is properly confined, the spider then makes its way over to the other insect. It isn’t long before that too becomes fully entangled in the spider’s intricate web.
What happens next is probably the most mesmerising part of the whole capture. The predator spins both its prey in the web several times, ensuring they are trapped completely.
To give you some context, according to insect control company Terro, wolf spiders were given their name because ‘they stalk and hunt their prey like wolves do’, so it’s unusual to see them get trapped in such a way.
WikimediaPrimarily, the wolf spider’s usual habitat is the garden so they can usually be found on the ground, hunting down garden pests.
Because of this, many people commenting below the video expressed their confusion as to how the spiders even ended up in the web.
One person commented:
[The wolf spiders] would certainly stay away from another spiders web to avoid this. They are ground dwellers and their position in the web seems like they must have fallen/been dropped from above into the web. They never stood a chance.
While another wrote:
Such a very unnatural death! Because..it just doesn’t happen in nature. Wolf spiders would never be that high .They stay on the ground and don’t mess with other spiders..So you caught two of them and threw them to a certain death in the orb spider’s web for shits and giggles. It is utterly disgusting, this type of behavior!
However, some people disagreed, with one person writing:
DOMINATION…. don’t mess with the orb weaver in its web! I would imagine the wolf spiders would be just as dominate if the battle were on the ground.
PexelsEither way, I wouldn’t like to come across one of them in my back garden! Their prime instinct is to hunt for prey and to be honest – even though I know humans aren’t their prey – I don’t really fancy my chances!
They’d probably smell my fear a mile off, so I reckon I’ll stick to avoiding the critters at all costs.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).