WILD NEW JERSEY: Smithsonian: Lying For Sex, Spider Style

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WILD NEW JERSEY: Smithsonian: Lying For Sex, Spider Style

Smithsonian: Lying For Sex, Spider Style

Photo Credit: Maria J. Albo

In order to mate, males of many invertebrate species must present a nuptial gift to the female before she will acquiesce and let their relationship move to the next step. Male nursery web spiders (Pisaura mirabilis) usually present an edible insect wrapped up in spider silk. But some guys are sneaky. They wrap up a useless gift, such as an inedible plant seed or the empty exoskeleton left after he’s eaten a fly. (And if his chosen female tries to steal his gift without mating with him, the spider can play dead, letting him stay near her for longer and continue the mating.)