Curiosity
Research Suggests Male Black Widows “Twerk” to Find Their Mates
Research Suggests Male Black Widows “Twerk” to Find Their Mates
The web-based peer-reviewed scientific journal known as “Frontiers in Zoology” has lived up to its self-described reputation to cover every aspect related to living creatures. In their latest edition, the journal has a feature article that describes how male black widow spiders walk the web of their species’ female counterpart as a possible mate.
The method should be familiar with younger people: the male jiggles its posterior using rapid abdominal movements akin to “twerking”. Twerking has been around for years and usually performed by African-American women, but it entered the mainstream of pop culture by Miley Cyrus at the most recent MTV Music Awards. It appears that the male black widow spiders use the twerk for the same titillating purpose: score a mate.
It should be noted that male black widow spiders take the twerk seriously. Their female counterparts are extraordinarily aggressive and will both kill and eat them if they perceive anything as being amiss. Scientists term this threat “sexual cannibalism”. The twerk isn’t actually performed in front the female spider, rather it sends vibrations along their web which they may interpret as a friendly advance. If the female black widow does not recognize the pattern, it will be the last thing male spider will do.
On The web:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/black-widow-spiders-twerk-to-find-mates-1.2501088