Are there any potential health risks associated with consuming Jumping Spider milk?

Is jumping spider milk something people consume?

No. The real discovery is a 2018 report in the journal Science, described by Science News, of a jumping spider, Toxeus magnus, whose mothers squeeze a white liquid from a crease on the abdomen to feed their young. It is a nursing fluid for baby spiders, not a food product, and the amounts are minuscule. Claims of spider milk dishes, drinks or supplements have no support in anything we found.

What was found in the research?

The article reports about 2 mg of sugar, 5 mg of fat and 124 mg of protein per milliliter, and says the protein is roughly four times that of cow’s milk. Spiderlings get only milk for the first 20 days, then begin hunting but keep nursing, about 40 days in total. Sealing the mother’s milk crease killed the young, which shows the milk is essential for them. The data come from lab nests.

Is it really milk?

The researchers call it milk, but the article notes that other animals, such as tsetse flies and pigeons, also produce milk-like secretions. It also records open questions, such as how the spiderlings take up the fluid.

Are there health risks for people?

We found no research on eating or drinking it, so the risks are unknown, not proven safe or unsafe. Spiders are wild animals, collecting the fluid would harm them, and it cannot be gathered in any practical amount. If a product says it contains spider milk, treat it with suspicion.

What should you drink instead?

If you want a high-protein dairy drink, use ordinary milk, yogurt or a fortified plant milk, and read the label. For health questions, speak with a doctor or dietitian.

This is general information, not medical advice.