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How do spiders digest prey outside their bodies?

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Two wild horses graze on tall grass in the open prairie of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, with rolling badlands visible in the background. — Feeding behaviour Wild horses graze in the Badlands of North Dakota.

Spiders digest their prey outside of their bodies through a process known as preoral digestion. Because spiders lack the ability to ingest solid food, they must liquefy their prey's internal tissues before consumption.1

There are two primary methods spiders use to achieve this:

Enzyme Injection: Many spiders bite their prey and pump digestive enzymes directly into the victim's body. These enzymes break down the internal tissues, turning them into a liquid that the spider then sucks up.21
External Coating: Some spiders chew their prey while simultaneously covering it with digestive enzymes secreted by their digestive tract. This process also results in the liquefaction of the prey's soft parts, which are then ingested.1

The spider's midgut is the primary site for the production of these digestive enzymes, which can be passed forward through the gut and out into the body of the prey to facilitate this external breakdown.2