English poet Mary Howitt's "The Spider and the Fly" doesn't tell the half of it: Spiders of course are happy to devour flies, but their appetites go beyond mere insects.
Researchers documented their wide-ranging palates in a study published on Wednesday detailing how at least two dozen species of spiders on every continent but Antarctica eat small freshwater fish that often exceed them in size.
Scientists have long known that some spiders consume fish, but the study, considered the first systematic review of the topic, showed that the practice is far more common and geographically widespread than previously understood.