LYRICS
But not all visitors have a fatal attraction to the pitchers.
The red crab spider spends its entire life in the pitchers,
hanging on with threads of silk.
Instead of building a web,
it relies on the water filled pitcher to trap its food.
When an ant falls in,
the spider simply waits for it to drown
and then abseils down for a spot of fishing.
Alive,
this ant would be far too dangerous
for the spider to tackle,
so using the pitchers as traps,
means it can get bigger meals.
And the spider doesn't rob the pitcher of everything.
The digested remains of its booty will end up in the water
providing instant food for the plant.
Other food,
like mosquito larvae,
seems to be out of reach
but the spider has another surprising trick.
By taking its own air supply trapped in a bubble
the crab spider can actually dive to the very bottom of the pitcher.
Once the prey is captured,
the spider hauls itself back up its silken safety line.