M. morio eat a variety of animals, mostly arthropods living or recently dead. Animals much larger than the phalangid or with a protective cover of much mucus or hard exoskeleton were rejected. Plant materials were not eaten in nature. M. morio detects food by physical contact. Walking legs function in a similar way to a spider''s web. M. morio fed at all times of day but more during darkness. An average of 47% of all food eaten was assimilated. In nature, the average calorific value of food captured daily by a 50 mg female M. morio was 4.84 cal, of which 1.5 cal were assimilated and 3.34 cal were returned to soil as faeces or noningested food remains. A male M. morio of 23 mg, daily captured food with an average calorific value of 2.32 cal, of which 0.29 cal were assimilated and 2.03 cal were returned to the soil.