Spider Love

The male redback spider is drawn inexorably forward, his lady a beautiful mass of abdomen and legs. Her bulk threatens to drive him into a frenzy.














He scrambles across her web to where she waits with open appendages. Her eight eyes sparkle in the evening light. He knows where his fate lies, but he cannot withstand her.

















At last they meet. They revel in the closeness, and are captivated by one another's mouthparts and palps. He somersaults his abdomen towards her mouth. She bathes him in digestive juices...

...okay, enough.

That's disgusting, and you get the picture.















Just as with several other spider species, this male won't survive the mating process. In fact, it is only as he is being dissolved by her digestive juices that he is able to mate at all. His is a one shot deal. Bad break.

We non-spiders have a lot to be thankful for.

Photos (1, 2, & 3) courtesy: Curtis Morton.