Spider Instincts

It’s a known fact that after mating, some female spiders resort to cannibalism, consuming their partners as a post-coital snack. However, a recent study published in Current Biology suggests that male spiders of certain species are evolving to survive these fatal encounters. The research involved 155 spider matings, of which 152 males utilized a technique called “catapulting behavior” to escape from their mates after mating.

Interestingly, the three male spiders that didn’t employ this behavior were all captured, killed, and consumed by their partners. Before this shirt slogan triggers fear and anxiety, let us tell you that most of us humans consider cannibalism as the “ultimate indignity.” Well, not all.