Are There Blood-Sucking Spiders?

No, there are currently no known spider species that will suck the blood of mammals or humans. Some insects do that, like ticks or mites, but spiders will never suck the blood from another creature.

Instead, spiders liquefy their prey to make it more easily digestible, especially in the case of larger species. They’ll use special stomach enzymes to cover their prey and liquefy it, making it easier for the spider to consume the prey without having teeth.

Even though spiders prefer liquid foods because of their straw-like mouths, they don’t suck the blood from another creature because they don’t have the right organs to do that, and they also get their food with other means.

Do Spiders Drink Human Blood?

There are currently no spider species known that suck blood directly from humans for food, but there is a species in Africa called Evarcha culicivora that eats human blood indirectly by hunting mosquitoes.

This spider species lives in parts of Kenya, and it’s considered to be one of the only spider species that eat human blood for food. However, it’s still not a true blood-sucking species in the right sense of the word. It will not directly suck the blood from humans – instead, it will get it by catching mosquitoes.

When this spider species catches mosquitoes, by relying on its strong senses which tell the spider if the mosquito has had any fresh human blood recently. It will specifically target mosquitoes that transmit malaria, so it’s perhaps good news for humans that live in this region and are worried about Malaria.

Another interesting fact about this spider is that it is drawn to the smell of human feet, and can sniff out mosquitoes from a distance thanks to its penchant for human blood. For these spiders, human blood will be one of the main nutrients, but it’s also a good aphrodisiac for them.

Apart from this spider species, there are no other species known in the world that would actively seek human blood or other species that consume human blood. Of course, several spider species also prey on mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects, but none to the extent of Evarcha culicivora – and certainly none that would suck human blood directly from a human.

Do Any Spider Species Suck Blood from Humans?

No, there are no know spider species that would suck human blood directly from humans.

The number one reason for this is that they don’t have the proper body structure that would allow them to do so. Spiders don’t have the same spear-like structure in their mouth that would allow them to suck blood from humans. That’s one of the main mechanisms that mosquitoes use to suck blood.

The other reason why spiders don’t suck blood is that they rely on other types of food to survive. Most notably, they’ll rely on catching insects that they find in their environment – either by catching them inside webs or by ambushing them, as some predatory spider species do.

The vast majority of spiders have venom and will use special stomach enzymes to turn their prey into a more liquid form. This allows them to go after some larger animals in their habitat, which makes it possible for spiders to go after larger animals of prey thanks to their potent venoms and powerful enzymes.

They will not, however, suck blood directly from humans. Apart from one spider species that we’ve mentioned above, there are also rare spiders that will catch blood-sucking insects and consume human blood that way.

If you’re afraid of spiders, then this is good news – at least they won’t suck your blood!

Are Spiders Vampires?

No, spiders are not vampires.

They don’t suck blood from humans, unlike some scientists and people who tend to say or believe this about spiders. You might have even seen it in a movie or a series – a spider sucking on another creature or human to get blood from it.

But it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yes, spiders will prefer to consume liquefied animals, but they will begin that process by themselves. They have an interesting digestion system that starts outside of the spider body at first and then continues inside its body.

After the spider catches the animal of prey, it will either pin it down with its fangs, or it will wrap it into a thick layer of silk, just like many orb-weaving spiders do. After that, the spider will cover its target animal with digestive enzymes to start the digestion process before the food enters its mouth.

This process will make it easier for the spider to consume the animal with its straw-like mouth. The digestion of the target animal will then continue inside the stomach of the spider, where the nutrients will enter its body.

Perhaps it is because of this process that many people believe that spiders have the ability to suck fluids from other animals. However, the truth is completely different – they absolutely don’t do that, and they’re not vampires, as it might have been portrayed in some movies or series that you might have watched.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are currently no known spider species that actively feed on humans and suck the blood from humans. There is one species that consumes human blood indirectly and is fond of human blood, but it will not suck the blood directly from a human body.

The main reason for this is that spiders don’t need human blood to survive, because they get their food from other sources. Additionally, spiders don’t have the same structures that mosquitoes or other blood-sucking animals do to extract blood from humans or other animals and mammals.

If you’re already afraid of spiders, then the good news is that you don’t have to worry that they’ll suck your blood and leave you dry – spiders don’t do it. In fact, they might even be a good form of pest control, as they actively prey on some mosquito species that do suck the blood from your body.