Spider caught eating a bird

Photographs of a giant spider eating a bird in an Australian garden have stunned wildlife experts, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The pictures show the spider with its long black legs wrapped around the body of a dead bird suspended in its web.

Despite their unlikely subject matter, the pictures appear to be real.

Joel Shakespeare, head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, said the spider was a Golden Orb Weaver.

"Normally they prey on large insects… it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he told ninemsn.com.

Mr Shakepeare said he had seen Golden Orb Weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.

Queensland Museum identified the bird as a native finch called the Chestnut-breasted Mannikin.

"It uses its venom to break down the bird for eating and what it leaves is a food parcel," he said.

The Golden Orb Weaver spins a strong web high in protein because it depends on it to capture large insects for food.
 

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