Can social media help clarify the threat domestic cats pose to insect and spider populations?
In research published in Insect Conservation and Diversity, investigators analyzed records from social media to explore which arthropods—including insects and spiders—are most preyed upon by domestic cats in urban environments.
The scientists, who conduct their research at the University of Campinas, in Brazil, searched TikTok and iStock, analyzing more than 17,000 photos and videos, which yielded 550 records of predation events by domestic cats.
In total, they recorded 14 distinct arthropod orders killed by domestic cats. Orthoptera (which includes grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets) was the most frequently preyed upon order, accounting for 20.7% of records. Hemiptera (which ...