These Spiders Have To Catapult Themselves After Sex Or Else They'll Die
April 25, 2022
A post-coital catapult might not sound like the most relaxing pillow talk, but for males of the orb-weaving spider Philoponella prominens, making a speedy exit after mating is a matter of life and death. Researchers have found that these spiders will ping themselves into the ether to avoid becoming lunch for females who would otherwise kill and eat them.
The unusual exit strategy is described in a new paper published in Current Biology, which explores how they use their first pair of legs to launch themselves away from their mates to safety the second they're done. The urgency is perhaps reflected in the phenomenal speeds these spiders reached, estimated to clock up to 88 centimeters per second (34.6 inches per second).
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-an...se-theyll-die/
