Why does the female praying mantis kill the male? Special rituals observed by praying mantises: mating on the verge of life and death Black widow kills male after mating
There are many myths and legends about spiders. The most common of them tells that all spiders kill their "husbands" immediately after mating, and then eat them. However, this is nothing more than a delusion. There are very few species whose females act so ugly among spiders. In the vast majority of cases, the gentleman remains alive and well.
The misconception about the total cruelty of spiders is based on an interesting property of the human psyche, the manifestation of which we encounter every day. Let us explain with a concrete example: once a representative of any political party, public or religious organization, or even a "non-titular" nation commits a bad deed, they immediately begin to treat the party, organization or nation itself badly.
In this case, the following chain arises: if one person steals something, then all the thieves in this organization, if one person killed, then all the murderers. It is curious that it only works when a negative act is committed. So, no matter how many good deeds the police do, their activities do not evoke at least some positive emotions among the masses. As soon as one of them blundered, a wave of negativity hits the entire police.
This property, which scientists call "negative generalization," seems to have been inherited by humans from our ape-like ancestors - it is generally quite common in animals. Its evolutionary value lies in the fact that it protects the young of non-predatory animals from the fate of being eaten. Indeed, if you explain to a young baboon that a lion is always a source of danger (even if he is full or already so old that he cannot hunt), then his chances of survival will increase.
This is how this stereotype of behavior arose in the process of evolution, and, apparently, it was formed independently in different animals. As a result, any negative behavior of a stranger casts a shadow on all his relatives. Quite specific conclusions are drawn from this: all strangers are bad in principle, and you can’t have anything to do with them. Such a statement, of course, is unfair, but if you follow it, then you will have a better chance of staying alive and healthy.
And what about spiders (or rather, spiders), you ask? Yes, despite the fact that people for the most part do not like these beautiful and very useful animals, without which harmful insects would have died us long ago. Therefore, a person subconsciously considers each spider a "stranger", from which one should stay away. No wonder that everything connected with them is automatically subject to the method of negative generalization.
However, studies by arachnologists show that spiders, for the most part, are not at all so bloodthirsty. Representatives of only 10 percent of the species eat the male after mating. And those who at the same time purposefully kill him are even fewer.
Most often, female spiders from the genus Latrodectus, to which the highly dangerous American Black Widow belongs ( L.mactans ) and Central Asian karakurt ( L. tredecimguttatus). Here they have mating turns into a real massacre! The female usually attacks the male when he has not yet completed his matrimonial duty. And since these spiders mate with several males, when the passion passes, the "marriage bed" is littered with the sucked corpses of boyfriends.
However, even in this case, the female kills not all males personally. The fact is that a crowd of a couple of dozen males usually comes to the mating place (which all spiders belonging to the genus Latrodectus three to four times as many as females are born). She is engaged in "love" with only two or three. And others, languishing in anticipation, are dying of nervous strain and exhaustion. And the spider very practically sucks out their bodies too - do not waste the good!
Such behavior of the black widow is quite understandable from a scientific point of view - for these spiders, the breeding season begins in early spring, when prey is scarce and the female is hungry all the time. This is why she is so aggressive. Yes, she, in fact, does not have much choice - if she does not dine at least with a male, then soon after fertilization she herself will die of hunger, and the spider race will be interrupted. By the way, experiments conducted in the laboratory showed that if a black widow is well fed before mating, then she does not touch her gentleman.
Most likely, the bloodthirstiness towards the marriage partner, which is shown by latrodectus and some other spiders, is the most primitive variant of sexual behavior. Other eight-legged hunters are much more peaceful. For example, males of many web spiders, in particular, representatives of the common genus in European Russia Metellina, realizing that a hungry female can be dangerous, they patiently wait for her to eat (they mate at the beginning of summer, when there is already a lot of food). Only then does the gentleman approach the lady and perform his marital duties. And the satisfied spider does not even make an attempt to attack him.
And here are the babysitter spiders of the genus Pisaura much more impatient. Instead of waiting for favors from nature, they force things. Before going to get acquainted, the male catches an insect, entangles it with a web and carries this gift to the female. While she satisfies hunger, the resourceful gentleman does his job. Interestingly, some males deceive the ladies of their hearts by presenting them with a slivers or pebbles wrapped in cobwebs instead of food (and they fertilize the female while she unravels the "packaging"). But even such deceivers are never killed by spiders.
The same spiders, who are too lazy to catch prey for the female, pacify their beauties with the help of music or dance. Many crosses ( Araneidae) attach a single thread to the female's nets, which is methodically sorted out with paws for several hours. A quiet and mournful sound brings the spider into a trance state, and after that you can do anything with it, and without fear for your own life.
Male spiders of the genus Steatoda they extract sounds by rubbing their chest against the front edge of the abdomen (they have special teeth there). And some wolf spiders from the family Lycosidae during courtship, they drum with their abdomen on a hard surface. This music fascinates the spiders so much that the male after mating has a lot of time to hide. The same effect is produced on ladies from the family of jumping spiders ( Salticidae) peculiar and very beautiful dances performed by their gentlemen. Even a not very good dancer remains alive after mating.
It is also worth mentioning that the males of many spiders from the genera Nephila, Argiope and Araneus almost all the time they live on the same web with females. And even when the breeding season has not yet arrived, there are no conflicts between them. Although they still try not to catch the eye of the ladies once again (web spiders see quite poorly, so it’s easy for males to remain invisible). But at an ordinary cross ( Araneus diadematus) males and females often live very close, almost side by side, and do not attempt to attack each other (the author of these lines has seen such an "idyll" more than once).
Moreover, sometimes male spiders are not as peaceful and gallant as in the cases described above. So, the males of many sidewalk spiders ( Thomisidae) before mating, they pounce on the female and entangle her limbs with cobwebs. Other sidewalkers have sex with their chosen one right after she molted and became completely helpless for some time. Male tarantulas of the genus Sickius before copulation, they bite their ladies in the joints of the legs, depriving them of the opportunity to move. And the villain Micrommata virescens generally suits spider hunting as prey. Having caught the chosen one, he paralyzes her with poison (which is unpleasant for the female, but not fatal) and only then proceeds to procreate.
But perhaps the real tyrants are the male spiders. Liniphia triangularis. Not only do they live on nets woven by females before mating, they also terrorize the hostesses - they take away food from them, and after mating they break their common snares. This is done in order to prevent the female from re-mating with another male of the same species. And the unfortunate ladies, despite their larger size, can do nothing with these impudent ones, since their character is much more timid and docile.
Why does the female praying mantis kill the male? and got the best answer
Answer from Victoria[guru]
There are several opinions about female praying mantises eating males.
1. The female eats the male on purpose, eating the head, his movements become more frequent, thereby increasing the amount of sperm injected into the female. After all, the nerve nodes that are not in the head, but in the abdomen are responsible for reproduction. This opinion appeared in early studies of praying mantises.
2. Now this behavior is explained by the need for a large amount of protein for the development of eggs, females have to resort to this type of prey.
3. And the third version, where the praying mantis can stay alive if he is lucky. Seeing the female, the praying mantis slowly and carefully, often freezing for a long time, intermittently, with stops, approaches her. The female praying mantis may be busy catching or eating food. Noticing the movement, he turns his head towards the male.
In this case, the male can stand frozen for a very long time. Accordingly, the praying mantis tries to choose the safest path. He tries to approach from the back, since the approach from the side most often ends badly for him even before the start of sexual intercourse.
Having jumped on the back of the female, clasping her pectoral shield with his front paws, bending his end of the body under the body of the female, mating begins, which lasts a couple of hours. Then immediately leave the place of "love", avoiding the role of an appetizer after an orgy.
Death after passion is not an obligatory ritual of praying mantises.
Answer from Vlad karsten[active]
normal response
Answer from SIKKA[guru]
females, they are like that, they won’t kill, they will enslave so ...
Answer from Ўdita P[guru]
Viktor Danchev - RULIT))
Answer from Lagoon[guru]
Not only kills, but also eats. As a nutrient, but why does she need it further?
Answer from Lyokha Efimovsky[newbie]
to survive. these are the laws of nature.
Answer from Yörgey[guru]
One of the most famous features of the praying mantis is the devouring of the male by the female after, and sometimes even during, mating. The praying mantis is a very large predatory insect. The male can reach a length of 52 mm, and the female -75 mm. At the end of summer, mating games of praying mantises begin. During this period, cases of cannibalism were often seen between females.
According to many experts, the male praying mantis cannot copulate when he has a head, therefore, sexual intercourse in insects begins with the female tearing off his head. But most often the mating process occurs quite normally, and the female eats the male with appetite only after mating is completed, and then only in half the cases. In fact, the female eats the male because of the strong need for proteins in the early stages of egg development, writes
In other matters, after eating the male, the praying mantis itself also dies, immediately after laying eggs in a nest made by her of foamy mucus. Here is such a tragic fate, the reproduction of these insects. To give offspring, the couple is doomed to die.
The key to the survival of any species is the continuation of the genus. Praying mantises were no exception, the mating of which has a number of very unusual features. For the male, unfortunately, this process can end very tragically. Scientists for a long time could not understand why such cruelty in females of this species. However, over time, the answer was found.
So, you want to know what she does after mating and why she needs it? Well, then it's time to go to the wonderful world of wildlife and see everything with your own eyes.
mating season
With the advent of August, hormones begin to play in praying mantises, which activates hidden mechanisms aimed at preparing for the breeding process. In particular, insects begin to actively hunt in order to provide the body with the necessary elements and minerals. Females are especially reverent about this task, because they will need to expend a lot of energy in order to lay eggs.
Closer to September, the females, fully prepared for breeding, spray special pheromones into the air, which are smelled only by mantis males. Mating in these insects is a very unusual process that has many amazing moments. So, the males, carried away by the smell, forget about everything in the world and go towards their beloved.
How praying mantises mate
The most interesting begins when two insects are at a distance of a close look. The male, who is inferior to the female in size, realizes that any oversight on his part can lead to a tragic ending.
So, if the female does not like the new gentleman, then she can warm him with her paw. And in the case of praying mantises, such a blow can not only greatly harm health, but also kill a would-be lover. That is why males first study the reaction of their partner, being at a safe distance from her. Sometimes they even do a little mating dance to show off their attractiveness.
If the female does not show aggression, then the males proceed to the process itself. However, even after that, there is a chance that everything will end very sadly for a man.
Bloodthirsty female praying mantis
Many are familiar with the notoriety that surrounds the females of these insects. We are talking about the fact that they can bite off the head of their boyfriends after mating. Why does this happen and do all males expect such a fate?
In order to lay eggs, females need to stock up on a lot of protein. And if they failed to get it during a normal hunt, then the only way out is to bite off a piece from the gentleman. But if the lady is not hungry, then the men have nothing to worry about: everything will end quite well.
But in any case, all praying mantises are familiar with the laws of nature. Mating is the only way to survive, which means the males will have to risk their lives for the greater good.
The praying mantis is a fairly common insect, well known to many people. Surely, you also had to pay attention to this rather large creature at least once in your life, perhaps even observe its behavior. Our article will talk about the most unusual behavioral feature of praying mantises, namely why the female kills and eats the male immediately after mating or even during it.
Aggressive Predator
Absolutely all are predators and excellent hunters. Their movements are precise and deadly. A praying mantis can attack not only an insect that is inferior to it in strength and size, but also a larger victim, for example, a snake, lizard or bird. Fights between relatives are also not uncommon, and the battles of praying mantises, as a rule, end in the death of one of the rivals.
It is widely known that even mating ends in a deadly fight. Scientists are currently putting forward several versions explaining the fact of killing and eating males by females, but research does not stop. Let's take a look at these versions.
Death for life
Entomologists have long noticed that after death, the praying mantis continues to move for some time: it can run away, hide, and even pretend to be dead (it is not entirely clear what causes the latter phenomenon; it is probably part of a lifelong self-preservation mechanism that does not go out immediately after death ). In any case, at the moment of agony and immediately after the onset of death, motor activity persists for some time and even increases.
This is one of the assumptions explaining why the female praying mantis kills the male during mating. The decapitated body begins to move faster, the release of sperm increases. Thus, the female receives a large portion of seminal fluid, due to which more eggs are fertilized.
This version has a weak point: the killing does not always occur during mating, often the female praying mantis waits a few seconds after the act before making a deadly throw.
Protein Source
Regardless of the moment of killing, the female praying mantis eats the male after mating. The head goes first. Researchers believe that this is due to the high protein content necessary for future offspring. It turns out that the female is driven by maternal instinct? She just wants to give the kids everything they need and chooses the easiest way for this.
Having finished with her head, the female usually proceeds to the next meal: there are also a lot of useful and nutritious substances in the body.
huntress instinct
There is an assumption that the female praying mantis eats her partner because of an overdeveloped hunting instinct. She just sees him as a victim. Romantic feelings are alien to insects, but they love to eat tightly. Why not seize the moment and devour the defenseless victim?
By the way, we note that these insects have well-developed sexual dimorphism. The photo shows that the male is smaller than the female, and his front legs are much thinner and not at all as powerful. In a fight, he has no chance, and she understands this very well.
Which version is correct? Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle. It is possible that the behavior of the female is influenced by a combination of several factors due to the most important instincts: procreation and self-preservation. More seminal fluid is needed to give life to more children. For future babies to develop well, protein is needed. And in order to survive on its own, you need food.
laying eggs
What happens next? After mating, the female praying mantis lays from one to three hundred eggs. It covers the masonry with a special adhesive liquid, which soon hardens, forming a kind of capsule - ootheca. The optimum level of humidity and temperature is maintained inside.
Occurs in August. In some warm climate regions, the incubation period rarely lasts longer than a month. And in temperate latitudes, the masonry hibernates before the onset of heat.
The larvae that have appeared are selected from the ootheca and begin an independent life. The mother does not take part in feeding and protecting the offspring, but the father, all the more, does not have such an opportunity.
chance for life
Surely the reader interested in the life of insects wonders if the male praying mantis has at least some chance of being saved. In fact, the statistics are not so sad. Researchers observing these creatures have calculated that female praying mantises, after mating, kill and eat males in only half the time.
One can be glad for the male part of the praying mantis population, but this does not bring us closer to revealing the secret. On the contrary, the understanding that only 50% of matings end in the death of a partner raises even more questions. So killing isn't necessary? By mating with a live male, does the female get enough seminal fluid to keep the population out of danger? Valuable protein for future babies is not so important? And the female, exhausted after copulation, does not die of hunger at all if she does not immediately bite off the head of her partner?
In search of answers to all questions, scientists have noticed several interesting features. First, it has been established that mating is always initiated by the male. Secondly, it was noticed that well-fed females are much less likely to attack partners. They are generally lazy and not too mobile (the process of digesting food in these insects is quite long). However, it is the hungry ones that seem much more attractive to males. A female that has not eaten for a long time can even cause a fight between several praying mantises ready for mating. Scientists have also determined that if the male was not killed during copulation, he often tries to sneak back unnoticed until the partner rushed at him. And a group of researchers who observed the behavior of these insects in South America managed to find another unusual detail - it turns out that males of some species precede copulation with a kind of dance. Perhaps this is how they expect to win the favor of the chosen one and stay alive.
Let's dispel another myth related to the reproduction of praying mantises. Some wildlife lovers mistakenly believe that absolutely all species differ in such sexual behavior. This is far from true. Currently, about 2,000 species of these insects are known to science, but not everyone is characterized by cannibalism. However, there is something in common: the male always tries to sneak up behind, wanting not to catch the eye of the chosen one.
Human danger
Can this aggressive insect attack a person? Praying mantises look intimidating, which is why many consider them dangerous. But entomologists assure that these creatures do not pose any threat to us.
And therefore, having met this amazing insect in your garden, never scare or offend him. It will not attack you and will even be useful: a voracious predator will perfectly protect your plants from garden pests.
Female praying mantises have a habit of killing and eating their partners during mating. For what? Fascinating new research shows that this prey gives males an excellent reproductive advantage.
Cannibalism among praying mantises is well documented, and scientists debate the causes of this phenomenon. A new study shows that females who eat their partners after mating produce more eggs than those who don't. Moreover, by eating the male, the widowed woman guarantees that he will provide food for the offspring after death.
About 25 percent of all collisions result in the death of the male.
The female praying mantis usually starts by biting off her mate's head.
Incredibly, this is 63 percent. Scientists have suggested that she manages to stock up on food at a critical moment in the reproductive life cycle, but the fact remains unproven.
To make sure, the researchers inserted traceable radioactive amino acids that were eaten by the males. Then each of them mated with a female praying mantis. Half of them were saved from the duplicity of their mistress, and the other half... well, you know what happened to the other half. The researchers then embarked on the task of studying the reproductive success of each female.
Study
By following the flow of radioactive proteins through their bodies, the scientists traced the contribution of the recently eaten male. The males that were eaten passed on almost 90 percent of their tagged amino acids, the surviving ones passed on about 25 percent delivered via ejaculate.
A significant part of the amino acids was transferred to the babies, which means that they are not completely metabolized by the female. It turns out that in addition to ejaculate, body tissue is used to produce eggs. Praying mantis after death - provides food to their descendants.
Female praying mantises that ate mates produced more eggs than those who didn't. On average, cannibals produced about 88 eggs, those who didn't eat partners about 37. This is a big difference and gives the males eaten a great reproductive advantage.
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