(CNN) It was almost midnight in the Peruvian Amazon when scientists from the University of Michigan heard a scratching noise in the leaves and saw a dinner plate-sized tarantula dragging a opossum along the forest floor.

The spider had grabbed the opossum -- a small furry creature known as a mouse opossum -- by the neck and it was still twitching when the scientists found the pair. They watched for about five minutes and were able to document the moment on video, before the spider hauled its prey behind a tree root to enjoy its meal in peace.

The 2016 encounter was detailed in an article published in February 28 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Amphibian & Reptile Conservation

The article titled "Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest" documents 15 cases of arthropods -- mainly large spiders and centipedes -- preying on vertebrates like small frogs, snakes and lizards.

"These are not common events to observe, period. Any kind of predation event involving a vertebrate, whether it's a snake eating a frog or a bird eating a lizard -- all of these are very rare," said Dan Rabosky, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan.

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