None of self-mutilation, cannibalism, bondage and genital plugging among the spiders surprised the researchers as much as the males performing oral sex as well.
Animals do the most amazing things. Read about them in this series by Janaki Lenin.
Darwin’s bark spiders are exceptional in many ways. Females of the species spin the world’s largest webs, covering up to 2.8 square metres in area. Slung across rivers and streams, the orbs’ anchor lines stretch up to 25 metres in length. Their silk is the toughest biomaterial in the world, 10-times stronger than bullet-proof Kevlar. Besides these superlative qualities, Slovenian researchers say this extraordinary creature has one of the most interesting sex lives in the animal kingdom as well.
Native to Madagascar, the Darwin’s bark spider was described scientifically only in 2010. The females are 14-times heavier and more than twice as large as males. But they are not monstrous; they are no more than two centimetres in length. This size difference between the genders, called sexual size dimorphism, is common among spiders. Many tiny males vie for the sexual attention of a large mamma at great personal cost. She could emasculate or eat them.