3 Interesting Facts About The Spider Lifestyle
Spiders are part of the few wild creatures found in all places all over the world. It’s no surprise the movie Spiderman was so popular. This movie almost made it cool to be bitten by a spider. However, no one seems to have developed superpowers apart from Peter Parker.
You should know that spiders are unique creatures. They work together to build webs and their females eat their males during sex; crazy, right? Here are three more interesting facts about spiders:
Spiders work together
Residents of Kinchela Creek in Australia recently woke up to millions of spiders surrounding their homesteads. The spiders are fleeing floods that were expected in the majority of towns. The spiders have formed a blanket of spider webs throughout the villages, creating a worldwide spectacle.
This is just one example of spiders working together to create a home for themselves.
Anelosimus eximius is the most social of all social spider species. They have found hanging out and working together is so amazing that thousands of them live together in enormous webs. This species live in rainforests, and their webs are as large as 25 feet long and five feet wide. Inside these enormous, silky and sticky structures, live as many as 50,000 spiders. Even for a web so large, that’s a bit crowded. Both male and female spiders live there, but the female population far overwhelms that of the males.
Both genders work together for the common good. The bigger the web, the more food there is to eat, and thus higher reproductive rates. Everyone in the web has a job to do. Some spiders build and repair the web, some organize and subdue prey, still others work to keep the place clean. Read more from Ranker…
The female black widow is venomous
A black widow is a term used to refer to a woman who has killed her husband or lover. It’s actually derived from the black widow spider with similar tendencies. Not a very good nickname if you’re looking for a long-term relationship. The black widow is a venomous spider whose venom affects its victim’s nervous system. However, extremely young and old people, as well as those whose immune system is weak, are the most susceptible victims.
Although male black widows have fangs that can really hurt if they bite you, only the females are venomous. The good news is that the female black widow spider is quite easy to identify. In the United States, these spiders have a bulbous body and a red hourglass shape on their underside. This particular marking is sometimes orange-yellow, but not typically. Regardless of the hourglass’ color, we’re guessing that most people can easily identify a black widow. Read more from Prohealth pest control…
Females cannibalize their male counterparts
Female spiders can eat a small part of the whole body or their male counterpart as food, especially during copulation. This makes mating an extremely dangerous sport for male spiders. But there is some benefit to it as explained below:
Studies show that cannibalism where the female eats the male is good for the young. There are species in which males execute different strategies to guarantee their lineage.
This is the case of the fishing spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), which stands out as the most extreme of all, the male, to ensure an offspring, literally dies sacrificing himself to be a father.
This case also answers the question: do male spiders know they will be eaten? This species not only knows it, but they do it with a kind of conscience to preserve their offspring.
According to results published in Current Biology, the father’s sacrifice seems to increase the number, size, and chances of survival of his future offspring.
Females, almost twice the male’s size, cannibalize their mate and produce nearly twice as many spiders as those that did not have their post-sex dessert. Read more from School of Bugs…
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