Hi Deep Look and KQED Science Fans, I’d always known orb weaver spiders for their beautiful webs, but I had no idea that for some species mating is a high-stakes ritual. These spiders have massive, fearsome-looking jaws straight out of a horror movie. But their jaws are not just for catching prey, they’re important for reproduction too. During mating, the male and female literally hook their jaws together. Find out more about these unusual spiders and their amazing mating moves in this week’s newsletter and video. Plus, you will also meet our new host, Margaret Katcher!
After going through a very risky and complicated mating process, the male long-jawed orb weaver spider must make a quick exit to avoid becoming the female’s next meal.
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🕸️Long-jawed orb weaver spiders spin their web right over a river or pond to lay a sticky trap for insects that hatch from the water. Then, with their long fangs, they impale their prey and slurp it up. 😍A female long-jawed orb weaver spider attracts a mate by coating her web with pheromones that males can’t resist. 🥊Both male and female long-jawed orb weavers have leglike appendages called pedipalps. Males use their pedipalps, which look like tiny boxing gloves, to mate. 💕Male long-jawed orb weavers store sperm in their abdomen, which they then collect with their pedipalps and transfer to the female.
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Name That Spider!
She mates and then kills, or so the story goes. With a shiny black color and a glaring red hourglass stomach, she has long inspired fear and awe. What spider is it? Find the answer at the bottom of the newsletter.
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Meet Margaret Katcher, Deep Look’s New Host
Margaret Katcher filming a documentary on location in Klamath, California. If you’ve watched our new long-jawed spider video, you might have noticed a new voice. We are thrilled to work with audio producer and science reporter Margaret Katcher. She’s the new host of Deep Look! Margaret is an alum of the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Along with hosting Deep Look, Margaret works on audio development for Trojan Horse, a film, television and podcast production company. She also spends lots of time in her garden with her toddler. Find out more about Margaret and see additional photos on Patreon! Support Deep Look on Patreon, so we can keep making weirdly wonderful videos about the tiny dramas playing out in the natural world. Depending on your level of support, you’ll get behind-the-scenes stories, or swag like T-shirts.
