A spider’s milk-like careSourced
Young spiders keep returning for a maternal meal
Toxeus magnus, a jumping spider found in Taiwan and elsewhere, feeds its young a white nutritional secretion. Initially the mother leaves droplets in the nest; later the young drink directly from her. Provisioning continues after they begin foraging independently. The secretion serves a milk-like role without being mammalian milk.
Maternal feeding can take a surprising form.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Toxeus magnus · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-10