Mating Plugs: Male Dwarf Spiders Create Their Own Chastity Belts For Females

People may associate the concept of the chastity belt with medieval Europe but other parts of the animal kingdom used them long before that.Male dwarf spiders, for instance, have evolved a mechanical safeguard to ensure their paternity - mating plugs to block off the genital tract of the female they have just mated with. The larger and older the plug, the better the chances are that other males will not make deposits in a female's sperm storage organ, too. Yes, dwarf spider males (Oedothorax retusus) insert mating plugs into the two copulatory ducts of the females they have mated with. read more

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