There is a species of spider that craves human blood. The jumping spider Evarcha culicivora sniffs out the odors of humans and human blood as well as the blood of animals. But there are two reasons you don't need to worry about being bitten by a blood-sucking spider. The first is that the vampire spider only lives in Kenya and Uganda, around Lake Victoria. And even if you live in those countries, this spider will not bite you. They are around 5mm long, and their tiny teeth cannot pierce human skin.
So how does a vampire spider drink blood? They prey on female mosquitoes that have recently gorged themselves on blood. New research shows that the vampire spider relies more on sight and color than on the smell of blood. They are likely to feast on mosquitoes that have been fed red dye, but have no smell. And even though they eat the mosquitoes that carry malaria, they are no help in controlling the disease since they only eat mosquitoes that have already bitten someone. Read about vampire spiders at Discover magazine. -via Damn Interesting