peek-a-boo spider
January 16, 2016 11:14 AM Subscribe
New Spider Species Found, Plays Peekaboo to Attract Mates "Spiders generally don’t carry hankies. So when a gentleman spider of a newly discovered Australian species (pdf) wants to get a lady’s attention, he waves the next best thing: his paddles. "
Cool!
I am a bit confused. Is this Peacock Spider Man?
posted by annsunny at 11:43 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I am a bit confused. Is this Peacock Spider Man?
posted by annsunny at 11:43 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Otto is an unusual name, so i assume it's the same guy.
posted by annsunny at 11:44 AM on January 16, 2016
posted by annsunny at 11:44 AM on January 16, 2016
Males of so many species do so much to attract a females attention, yet in humans it seems to have become the opposite somewhere along the line. Was this deliberate?
posted by infini at 11:49 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 11:49 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah Jurgen Otto is the peacock spider guy; he's on an incredible roll these days.
posted by dhruva at 11:58 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by dhruva at 11:58 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Here's a longer video showing the paddle behaviour.
posted by dhruva at 12:04 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by dhruva at 12:04 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
i know people who would fall for this
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:18 PM on January 16, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:18 PM on January 16, 2016 [4 favorites]
I love how the first couple of potential mates are just like, oh fuck off.
posted by en forme de poire at 12:39 PM on January 16, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by en forme de poire at 12:39 PM on January 16, 2016 [7 favorites]
According to dhruva's link, the virgins will be placid and willing after seeing the display, and females that have mated before will just try to attack. I'm sure there's wonderful parallels we could find to human behavior here.
posted by idiopath at 1:20 PM on January 16, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by idiopath at 1:20 PM on January 16, 2016 [5 favorites]
Infini, men do this. They're just gross about it these days. Instead of a spider waving a paddle as a lady spider swipes at him until she just gives in, picture a guy sending endless dick pics while a girl tells him off until he wears someone down.
Or combine the images and think of little spiders waving dildos around.
Heh.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 1:23 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Or combine the images and think of little spiders waving dildos around.
Heh.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 1:23 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
If the female doesn't attack... it's safe for him to mate. I think the question on everyone's mind is, what if she does?
posted by Splunge at 1:25 PM on January 16, 2016
posted by Splunge at 1:25 PM on January 16, 2016
It looks like vibrations may be a part of the behaviour too? Off to peruse more spidey videos.
posted by annsunny at 1:27 PM on January 16, 2016
posted by annsunny at 1:27 PM on January 16, 2016
Spiders generally don’t carry hankies
...is not a phrase I expected to read today.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:01 PM on January 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
...is not a phrase I expected to read today.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:01 PM on January 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
This is how I play with cats. Just goes to prove my theory that spiders are tiny kittehs with more legs.
posted by blurker at 2:04 PM on January 16, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by blurker at 2:04 PM on January 16, 2016 [4 favorites]
The semaphore of love.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 2:11 PM on January 16, 2016
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 2:11 PM on January 16, 2016
Spiders generally don’t carry hankies
Well, except the ones who are into bondage
posted by en forme de poire at 3:21 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Well, except the ones who are into bondage
posted by en forme de poire at 3:21 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I am an arachnophobe in Australia. Basically every time I read a headline about a "Newly discovered Australian spider" I read the article with the sole intention of seeing if it lives where I do. Hooray! This one's a no!
(brb going to go continue to sideye the supposedly harmless jumping spider that looks like a scorpion and a whitetail spider had a baby that insists on living on my ceiling)
posted by olinerd at 4:09 PM on January 16, 2016
(brb going to go continue to sideye the supposedly harmless jumping spider that looks like a scorpion and a whitetail spider had a baby that insists on living on my ceiling)
posted by olinerd at 4:09 PM on January 16, 2016
i know people who would fall for this
Hmmm?
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:03 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hmmm?
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:03 PM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
ahhhhhh bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
I call shenanigans, bullshit, nonsense on this. I've been living on this planet for a long, long time. And I confess that evolution has created some silly shit. But this defies belief.
This is a ruse. This was cooked up by an outsider to figure an outside limit. Frankly, this is so obviously bullshit that its making me rethink the existence of Australia. Australia!
If you see my response - my incredulity - and you are offended - I want you to think long and hard about your relationship with science and the internet. I'll tell you right now I think this paddle-spider is a heap of bullshit - and I know you want to defend its existence because you read about it on the internet. THINK ABOUT IT.
aaaaand i'm out.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:11 PM on January 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
I call shenanigans, bullshit, nonsense on this. I've been living on this planet for a long, long time. And I confess that evolution has created some silly shit. But this defies belief.
This is a ruse. This was cooked up by an outsider to figure an outside limit. Frankly, this is so obviously bullshit that its making me rethink the existence of Australia. Australia!
If you see my response - my incredulity - and you are offended - I want you to think long and hard about your relationship with science and the internet. I'll tell you right now I think this paddle-spider is a heap of bullshit - and I know you want to defend its existence because you read about it on the internet. THINK ABOUT IT.
aaaaand i'm out.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:11 PM on January 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
blurker: Just goes to prove my theory that spiders are tiny kittehs with more legs.
Here's more proof!
posted by dhruva at 7:40 PM on January 16, 2016
Here's more proof!
posted by dhruva at 7:40 PM on January 16, 2016
my theory that spiders are tiny kittehs with more legs.
Have you reviewed the prior research on the subject?
posted by pwnguin at 7:31 PM on January 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
Have you reviewed the prior research on the subject?
posted by pwnguin at 7:31 PM on January 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by kinnakeet at 11:31 AM on January 16, 2016