Tarantulas usually satisfy this by chowing down on other bugs, though large arachnids are also known to nibble on lizards and rodents. Researchers in Brazil made a grisly but fascinating discovery when they found a large female tarantula in the process of eating a snake.

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 Here’s the epic description of the death scene from a paper on the find: “The snake (snout-vent length 390.60 mm) was found dead, with severe damage to the anterior and middle regions of its body.

The title of the paper, published in December in the journal Herpetology Notes, really gets to the point: “Predation of the snake Erythrolamprus almadensis by the tarantula Grammostola quirogai.”

Live Science brought this riveting discovery into the public eye. …Read more