Real Halloween Horrors: Corpse Cosplay by Zodarion Spiders

An ant-hunting Zodarion maculatum spider. Photo by Antonio Pizarro via iNaturalist Humans in North America only spend one night a year in costume with the hopes of feasting on tasty treats. For Zodarion spiders, that's just called Tuesday. These clever mimics pretend to be ants to sneak close to their prey. And if in danger, they'll use the corpse of their latest capture to complete the charade. The spiders in the genus Zodarion are ant specialists—which is a pretty dangerous lifestyle for a small spider. After all, ants are armed with strong mandibles and sometimes stingers. And that's assuming you're only dealing with one ant at a time. Ants don't tend to take threats to one of their own lightly, and will attack intruders and other threats en masse. When it's one little spider against dozens of ants, the spider doesn't stand a chance. Zodarion spiders don't do the sensible ...