Male redback spiders invite cannibalism through a ‘self-sacrificial somersault’ during sex – but why?

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If you think you’ve had a bad one-night stand, spare a thought for the male redback spider, whose sole reproductive partner eats him after sex. Male redbacks appear to invite this cannibalism through a “self-sacrificial somersault”, with new research shedding light on the genetic basis of the behaviour. The redback, also known as the Australian black widow, is one of two monogynous widow spider species – meaning that males typically only mate with a single female. During copulation, a male redback uses his pedipalps – two arm-like appendages – to transfer sperm to the larger female’s two sperm storage organs. He also somersaults into the jaws of the female. “He’s…

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