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Black Widow Spiders Learned to Avoid Sad Fate
As you know, the females of many spiders of the genus Latrodectus eat males after mating. Because of this feature, the genus was called “black widows”.
Now, a team of zoologists from Canada and Israel have found that individual males have learned to avoid such a sad fate by choosing young females to mate.
Most often, female spiders mate with males, reaching the adult stage, that is, having passed the last molt.
However, in fact, the genitals of the female finally form two to three days before this molt, but remain closed with a chitinous shell.
Some male species Latrodectus hasselti (Australia) and Latrodectus geometricus (North America) were able to pierce their jaws chitinous exoskeleton female exactly in the right place and fertilize it to the last molt. Such mating rarely ends with eating a male, so it has the ability to fertilize multiple females and is more likely to pass on its genes to offspring.
After molting, the spider's sperm remains in the genitals of the transfused female, and fertilization occurs.
Apparently, this strategy is widespread enough, as a third of the females caught by scientists Latrodectus hasselti at the last juvenile stage were fertilized.
Such females, the researchers found, bring the same number of offspring as those who were fertilized in adulthood and ate the male who fertilized them. published
Also interesting: Seven types of wives
As a wife thinks of her husband, so he becomes!
P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness – together we change the world!
Source: polit.ru/news/2016/09/21/ps_spiders/
Now, a team of zoologists from Canada and Israel have found that individual males have learned to avoid such a sad fate by choosing young females to mate.
Most often, female spiders mate with males, reaching the adult stage, that is, having passed the last molt.
However, in fact, the genitals of the female finally form two to three days before this molt, but remain closed with a chitinous shell.
Some male species Latrodectus hasselti (Australia) and Latrodectus geometricus (North America) were able to pierce their jaws chitinous exoskeleton female exactly in the right place and fertilize it to the last molt. Such mating rarely ends with eating a male, so it has the ability to fertilize multiple females and is more likely to pass on its genes to offspring.
After molting, the spider's sperm remains in the genitals of the transfused female, and fertilization occurs.
Apparently, this strategy is widespread enough, as a third of the females caught by scientists Latrodectus hasselti at the last juvenile stage were fertilized.
Such females, the researchers found, bring the same number of offspring as those who were fertilized in adulthood and ate the male who fertilized them. published
Also interesting: Seven types of wives
As a wife thinks of her husband, so he becomes!
P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness – together we change the world!
Source: polit.ru/news/2016/09/21/ps_spiders/
