Reversal of the Black Widow myth: Some male spiders prefer to eat old females rather than mate with them
Monday, May 6, 2013 - 10:00
in Biology & Nature
The Black Widow spider gets its name from the popular belief that female spiders eat their male suitors after mating. However, a new study has shown that the tendency to consume a potential mate is also true of some types of male spider. The study finds that male spiders of the Micaria sociabilis species are more likely to eat the females than be eaten.