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Why Female Praying Mantises Devour Their Partners During Sex.
A female praying mantis with what’s left of her partner. (Image: Oliver Koemmerling)
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 this sacrifice is actually giving the males a distinct reproductive advantage.
Sexual cannibalism among praying mantises is well documented, but scientists have debated the reasons for it. A new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that females who eat their male partners after sex produce more eggs than those who don’t. What’s more, by eating the male, the widowed female ensures that her man is still providing for their offspring, even though he’s dead.
William Brown, a scientist at State University of New York at Fredonia and co-author of the new study, put it well: “Sexual cannibalism thus increases male investment in offspring.”
In praying mantises, around 25 percent of all sexual encounters result in the death of the male. The female typically begins by biting off her partner’s head, and she works down from there. Incredibly, this comprises about 63 percent of the female’s diet during the mating season. Scientists have speculated that it’s a way for the female to record a quick meal at a critical point in her reproductive life cycle, but this claim has largely remained unproven.
https://gizmodo.com/why-female-praying-mantises-devour-their-partners-durin-1782818376
A female praying mantis with what’s left of her partner. (Image: Oliver Koemmerling)
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 this sacrifice is actually giving the males a distinct reproductive advantage.
Sexual cannibalism among praying mantises is well documented, but scientists have debated the reasons for it. A new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that females who eat their male partners after sex produce more eggs than those who don’t. What’s more, by eating the male, the widowed female ensures that her man is still providing for their offspring, even though he’s dead.
William Brown, a scientist at State University of New York at Fredonia and co-author of the new study, put it well: “Sexual cannibalism thus increases male investment in offspring.”
In praying mantises, around 25 percent of all sexual encounters result in the death of the male. The female typically begins by biting off her partner’s head, and she works down from there. Incredibly, this comprises about 63 percent of the female’s diet during the mating season. Scientists have speculated that it’s a way for the female to record a quick meal at a critical point in her reproductive life cycle, but this claim has largely remained unproven.
https://gizmodo.com/why-female-praying-mantises-devour-their-partners-durin-1782818376