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This is a jumping spider.
SourceHe uses silk as a lifeline, reeling it out as he hops from place to place.
SourceBut when, he’s looking for a mate. The thread of a female spider that he can trace back to its source. Problem is, she may have other priorities. While he’ll jump on pretty much anything that moves...She only mates once. She’s picky. So he’s going to make his case… on the dancefloor.Masculine jumping spiders perform courtship Jazz hands, leg-lifts…they even shimmy their pedipalps.
SourceBut he needs a soundtrack. So, by beating together the front and back halves of his body, he creates vibrations that travel through the ground.
SourceThis is what her ears look like. Tiny membranes stretched across slits in her legs.
https://ipfs.pics//ipfs/QmQd83TkRVKTKjhAKghgLombff3bEZmMcymYjadypzhbhd
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To study these jumping spider pulses, researchers at the University of California Berkeley use a sophisticated laser vibrometer developed for quality-testing cars and airplanes. It turns those vibrations into something we can hear.
SourceAnd guess what? It’s a song. The first verse sounds like a fast heartbeat.Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump. Then, more thumping. Followed by something new. A “BOOM.” This is verse two. That pattern, over and over again. For verse three he adds a third element. Almost like he’s casting a spell, right?
SourceFrom species to species, and there are thousands of different jumping spiders, the songs vary.
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But one thing never changes: The jumping spiders they have to sing at the risk of losing life.She may mate with him. She might refuse. But she might just eat him instead. When the Berkeley scientists prevented the males from singing while they danced, the females were three times as likely to hunt them as prey.
SourceSo he needs to go big. The closer he gets to her, the more danger he's in. The dance and the song get more and more urgent.
But even with all that… She’s still calling the shots.
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