Extreme, fascinating, exciting: This is how researchers describe the love games that insects and spiders play. While an estimated ten trillion insects and spiders live on Earth, we know very little about how they reproduce. 

Now, scientists around the world have started observing these animals during sexual intercourse. Their conclusion: it's complex! And sometimes, it’s also risky. Take field crickets in Hawaii: The crickets’ calls are meant to  attract desired mates, but predators hear them, too. And what happens when mutations rob crickets of their ability to send out sexual signals at all?

Then there are spiders. Many people know that spider sex can be fatal, and that the female black widow is considered a killer. What’s the truth behind this image? The astonishing answer provides insights into the behavior of spiders. The black widow's web functions as both a trap and a communication system. The males spin "highways" to the females, which their competitors can also use, in yet another aspect of the race to procreate. 

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TUE 29.10.2024 – 01:15 UTC
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