Vampire Spiders Obsess Over Human Blood, Pouncing on Mosquitoes to Get Their Fill

Of all the pop culture cryptids that lurk in the dark, vampires have by far the most iconic fangs. One can only assume that they would have a weakness not only for bats, but also for spiders whose fangs look straight out of a horror movie. Vampires and spiders can easily send shivers down your spine, but what about a mix of the two?

Such a sinister combo exists in real life, known as the vampire spider (Evarcha culicivora). The good news is that while this arachnid has a bloodlust that rivals even Dracula’s, it has no intention of sinking its fangs into the necks of humans. He also doesn’t look as scary as his name suggests, with a body as big as a grain of rice and strangely cute beady eyes.

Find out where vampire spiders get their daily dose of blood and how it nourishes them in several ways.

Learn more: Spiders will hunt in groups and share meals if they have enlarged brain structures

A Vampire Spider’s Favorite Meal

The vampire spider is a species of jumping spider found in areas around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda. As their name suggests, they are fond of human and animal blood. But as luck would have it, their fangs are so small that they cannot pierce the skin.

However, spiders have a backup plan for getting their favorite food; they catch mosquitoes from Anopheles kind who are already engorged with blood, which makes them “mosquito specialists”. These spiders will specifically target blood-carrying female mosquitoes, since male mosquitoes cannot feed on blood.

They are not simple mosquito specialists either. They could also be considered “plant specialists,” according to a 2017 study in the journal Behavioral processes. They visit certain plants in response to odorous compounds like humulene and caryophyllene, although their goals differ depending on age; juvenile spiders choose plants to acquire nectar as a food source, while adults choose them as mating sites.

Sniffing human odors

Vampire spiders primarily use two strategies to hunt mosquitoes: sight and smell. These characteristics help them distinguish mosquitoes from non-biting midges (or “lake flies”) that live in the same habitat, but do not carry the same blood that the spiders are interested in.

Previous research has shown that spiders are also attracted to human odors, especially those that aren’t too appealing, like the smell of sweaty socks. As disgusting as it may sound, this smell guides them to places where humans – and therefore mosquitoes – are present.

There are other ways that vampire spiders can find mosquitoes to fill with blood. They rely on their eyesight to choose their targets and have been shown to identify female mosquitoes based on their antennae.

An obsession with blood

Although they are experienced hunters, spiders’ strategies are not always perfect. One downside is that as blood lovers, they are a little too obsessed with the color red.

A 2022 study published in Animal behavior observed this gap with an experiment that gave vampire spiders the ability to feed on blood-carrying mosquitoes, mosquitoes fed a mixture of red food coloring to make them appear blood-fed, and gray-dyed mosquitoes that mimic the appearance of those that have never fed on blood.

Not surprisingly, the spiders delighted in the blood-carrying mosquitoes. This preference was strongest within six hours of feeding the mosquitoes blood, when their bodies were red. At 12 p.m., when the red color started to disappear from the mosquitoes, the spiders seemed to lose interest.

The spiders also chose red-dyed mosquitoes over gray-dyed mosquitoes, proving that it’s the redness of blood that’s largely what attracts them.

Although vampire spiders’ small stature and attraction to smelly socks don’t make them as good-natured as vampires, their enthusiasm for blood may simply be unmatched.

Learn more: New Frankenstein spider found in Thailand is half male and half female

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