For the first time, spiders have been observed escaping sexual cannibalism by flinging themselves away from females, reaching speeds of up to 88.2 centimetres per second.
By Sam Jones.
Some animals move stealthily to avoid detection or even play dead in order to escape sexual cannibalism, but male orb-weaving spiders have developed another approach: after copulation, they rapidly catapult to safety. This is the first time catapulting has been reported.
The orb-weaving spider behavior was first noticed by Shichang Zhang and his team at the Hubei University in China.
The researchers decided to do more research in the lab. They used high-speed cameras to capture the spider's behavior. Only three of the males didn't catapult after they had sex, and all were killed and eaten by their partners. All of the males that jumped were alive.
Credit: Shichang Zhang
Shichang Zhang.
The researchers put a small paintbrush behind the spiders that prevented the males from catapulting. They were also killed and eaten.
The males launch themselves at speeds of up to 88.2 centimetres per second, which is impressive for a spider only around 3 millimetres in length. That is as if a person 183 centimetres tall threw themselves in the air in 1 second.
The State University of New York at Fredonia is led by William Brown. He wonders if the escape strategy might also be used in response to other threats.
If a male can't catapult, the female may deplete or eliminate its sperm, and accept other males.
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