Caught in the web: Exploring spider predation on bats in Europe

 

Caught in the web: Exploring spider predation on bats in Europe

Abstract

The intricate interplay between predators and prey has long fascinated ecologists, with bats and their diverse prey offering insight into co-evolutionary dynamics. While bats have evolved sophisticated strategies for prey capture, they also face predation pressure. Among their predators, spiders stand out for their diversity of predatory tactics, ranging from hunting assaults and web ensnarement to the deployment of venom. Yet, bat predation records by spiders are mostly from tropical regions, and cases remain notably scarce in temperate regions. Here, we report four new incidences of bat predation and mortality by spiders and their webs in Europe. Our observations include detailed photograph and video documentation of the first record of a spider capturing and consuming a bat pup in Spain, as well as accounts of bats entangled in spider webs on a building and inside bat boxes in the United Kingdom. These findings shed light on understudied predator–prey dynamics, offering valuable insights into spider predation on bats in European ecosystems. Our study emphasises the importance of continued research to improve our understanding of ecological interactions between these elusive and primarily nocturnal taxa.

Ruiz-Villar, H., Montauban, C., Pino-Blanco, A., & Tena, E. (2024). Caught in the web: Exploring spider predation on bats in Europe. Ecology and Evolution, 14(6), e11474. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11474