It should come as no surprise that spiders constantly monitor their webs, for both potential mates and potential meals: food and sex are two of nature’s most fundamental drives. However, the means by which they distinguish between the two types of visitor – tuning their webs and interpreting the subsequent vibrations – is a secret that scientists have only recently unravelled. You can learn more on NPR’s website.
The vibey way spiders differentiate potential meals and potential mates
Producer: Adam Cole
Website: NPR’s Skunk Bear
25 August 2015
videoEvolution
Female black widows have a murderous reputation, but do the males have it coming?
6 minutes
videoEvolution
Dance or die! A male spider must impress a female with his moves, or be eaten
4 minutes
videoBiology
Glow worms mimic stars, creating a stunning faux night sky in a New Zealand cave
4 minutes
videoEvolution
A hair-trigger existence – the extreme peril of feasting on Venus flytrap nectar
3 minutes
videoBiology
Cape sundews move, react and attack in a way that seems more animal than plant
4 minutes
videoEvolution
When is it worth sacrificing your life for the next generation?
5 minutes
