{"id":43897,"date":"2024-11-19T12:46:35","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T11:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b31393cd-2abc-41dc-9977-a6ba6b995593"},"modified":"2024-11-19T14:27:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T13:27:32","slug":"ocean-explores-just-discovered-these-eerie-underwater-spiders-doing-something-very-disturbing","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/ocean-explores-just-discovered-these-eerie-underwater-spiders-doing-something-very-disturbing\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocean explores just discovered these eerie underwater spiders doing something very disturbing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Related to both spiders and crabs, sea spiders suck up the insides of their prey \u201clike sipping through a straw\u201d \u2013 they also breathe through their legs, say scientists. <\/p>

By Melissa Hobson\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 19 November 2024 at 11:46 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Ocean explorers have shared creepy footage of underwater spiders, revealing some of the secrets of these insidious marine invertebrates \u2013 including that they slurp up their prey like a smoothie. <\/strong><\/p>

“If you\u2019re afraid of spiders, I\u2019m so sorry to tell you this but you\u2019re not even safe in the ocean,\u201d says\u00a0OceanX<\/a>, who shared the footage on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

Underwater spiders can be found all over the world\/OceanX <\/figcaption> <\/figure>

There are over 1,300 species of\u00a0sea spider<\/a>\u00a0(Pycnogonida<\/em>) found in every ocean on the planet \u2013 from the tropics to the poles (although they\u2019re more\u00a0abundant\u00a0in polar regions), and from rockpools and shallow waters to the deep sea.\u00a0According to the\u00a0Monterey Bay Aquarium<\/a>, these critters \u201cmight be as small as a grain of sand or as long as a house cat.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Although they are related to both spiders and crabs, pycnogonids aren\u2019t true spiders. They \u201chave been evolving on their own for hundreds of millions of years,\u201d says Monterey Bay Aquarium, and have developed their own unique qualities.\u00a0<\/p>

Watch the underwater spiders in action\/OceanX <\/figcaption> <\/figure>