You know how it is. You've just killed a delicious wasp and are preparing to feast when, all of a sudden, you feel the pangs of venom rushing up your leg. So you bite it off.
Or such was probably the case for a humble European garden spider filmed by Tim Edwards, an editor at BBC Earth, in his garden. Edwards notice that after wrapping up the wasp, the spider changed its behavior and appeared to stroke and bite one of its legs, before it fell off shortly later, according to the BBC. Edwards consulted biologists who said that the spider likely self-amputated (a process known at autotomy) to prevent venom from the wasp from reaching the rest of its body.
Garden spiders are a common — but apparently bad-ass — arachnid found throughout Europe. Luckily, they regenerate legs after they periodically molt, or shed their skin. So this spider won't be doomed to a life with seven legs.
Watch the video at the BBC.
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