Male black widow spiders destroy female’s web to deter rivals

Male black widow spiders destroy large sections of the female's web during courtship and wrap it up in their own silk. New research shows that this home-wrecking behavior deters rival males, by making the female's web less attractive to them. Surprisingly, the females don't seem to mind the destruction. The authors of the study say the males' behavior could protect the female from harassment, enabling her to get on with parenting.

Read the whole article on Science Daily

More from Science Daily