sexual cannibalism
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These Male Spiders Evolved a Post-Sex Catapult to Escape Cannibalistic Females
Researchers in China have described yet another freaky sex habit of spiders (as if there weren’t enough already): Some male spiders launch themselves at great speed off their cannibalistic female partners, to avoid being eaten after copulating. The way they make their egress is similar to the mechanism at play in catapults, according to the…
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Why Female Praying Mantises Devour Their Partners During Sex
Female praying mantises have a habit of killing and eating their partners during sex, which sucks for the male. Or does it? A fascinating new study shows that this sacrifice is actually giving the males a distinct reproductive advantage.