Photo Courtesy: Daquin Li

While many might remember the recent Channel 5 drama serial Fighting Spiders which was set in rural Singapore in the 1960s, the hobby of pitting these eight-legged creatures against each other was once considered a favourite past time of many school boys.

The fun begins by placing two spiders, one of each end of a long stick, lead them to the middle of the stick and a furious fight will ensue! The battle ends when one spider drops off the stick. Nominal bets of a few dollars might be made – for the young ones, this was quite a sum! In some cases, a win is considered only when the losing spider is eaten by its opponent.

What’s a fight without its warriors? These spiders are usually caught in trees and bushes. It’s believed that spiders that live in areas exposed to predators are more aggressive than those living in isolation and therefore better fighters. So are those with slender bodies and long legs!

Usually housed in used matchboxes, these spiders are well-taken care off though the trainer might intentionally starve the creatures before a match to increase their ferocity.