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Engystomops Entree
Fishing spider (Ancylometes sp) & Peter's dwarf frog (Engystomops petersi) - Yasuni National Park, Ecuador
A role reversal suitable for Halloween on the forest floor of the Amazon rainforest. Usually vertebrates eat invertebrates but this fishing spider, likely Ancylometes rufus, is large enough to turn the tables and consume small vertebrates. This is not uncommon and in about 8 days at Yasuni, I observed this species of spider eat 3 frogs in total and I have seen one eating a snake before in Peru. A little unnerving every time but only fair, as frogs must eat far more spiders overall than spiders eat frogs.
Engystomops Entree
Fishing spider (Ancylometes sp) & Peter's dwarf frog (Engystomops petersi) - Yasuni National Park, Ecuador
A role reversal suitable for Halloween on the forest floor of the Amazon rainforest. Usually vertebrates eat invertebrates but this fishing spider, likely Ancylometes rufus, is large enough to turn the tables and consume small vertebrates. This is not uncommon and in about 8 days at Yasuni, I observed this species of spider eat 3 frogs in total and I have seen one eating a snake before in Peru. A little unnerving every time but only fair, as frogs must eat far more spiders overall than spiders eat frogs.