In my 'Mutual Admiration Society' post I talk about several different species of creatures that benefit from each other's presence - a phenomenon known as mutualism. I was watching a program a few weeks ago and discovered another unusual inter-species pairing between some frogs and some tarantulas. Normally large tarantulas will eat small frogs, but certain species have figured out that there are advantages to NOT eating them. Not only do they not eat them, but they share burrows. The frog eats ants and other small insects that prey on spider eggs, and the tarantula's presence protects the frog from potential predators such as snakes and other large spiders.
No, this tarantula is not eating THIS particular frog. Narrow-mouthed frogs are the most common roommate of tarantulas and there are about 450 species. Some do have toxic skin which may be how this relationship began. The tarantula has figured out how to identify certain frogs by chemical analysis. The dotted humming frog of Peru was the first documented case (the species of tarantula involved might be up for debate).
Just another example of two species cooperating. To see a video,
click here.
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