sexual dimorphism

In many species, including most mammals and birds, it is the male that is larger and showier that the female of the species. In spiders and insects the opposite it true. I had a very up close and personal encounter with sexual dimorphism in the argiope spider ( orb weaver) on a lunch time walk close to my office last week.

I actually spied this gorgeous lady spider the week before and took a few pictures of her. She was a little nervous and moved away from the center of the web too quickly for me to snap a shot of her sprawled out. Perhaps she was already lying in wait for her courtesan. 

The next visit she was laying very still at the hub of her web and I managed to approach her very quietly without disturbing any of the threads of the web. I took a few pictures from the front but I didn't like the lack of contrast so I approached her from the side. That is when I spotted the little spiderman.

 

Here it is very advantageous to be tiny and nimble. The male must approach the web from it's edge and crawl across it without disturbing the web, otherwise she will think him to be lunch and he will have to fall make a very speedy descent of be eaten. Sexual cannibalism is also prominent in the spider world. He crawls very silently and slowly on the opposite side of the web until he reaches the hub where she lies waiting. The act occurs there and then she may eat him or he may escape by jumping away. 

I hope to visit this dramatic "web site" over the next few weeks to see if it was a success. I will look for evidence of an egg sac and if nature is kind and the spiderlings are able to hatch I will try to catch some pictures for you.

Here is few pictures of a card I made for a dear friend and some flowers just in case you don't really want to be thinking about spiders for the remainder of the day. If you are fascinated by the subject though i would highly recommend the "green porno" series of short films by Isabella Rossellini. Especially the segment where she portrays the little spider man. In an interview for Scientific American , when asked why she focused on insects, she said,

 "Mammals would look too pornographic. With the bugs, they’re so strange and far out, they’re comical. If a human being behaved like a bug, he or she would be arrested. Also, when I was little, I always said I should have been born in Africa or been like Jane Goodall. That was my dream. And then when I moved to live in the country, I discovered all these bugs in my backyard. I discovered you can do your own safari. Animals are everywhere. Some are more romantic, like tigers and elephants and chimpanzees, and some are less romantic, like earthworms, but they are just as interesting."

 

Hope you have some interesting encounters today!!

xo

m  

  

  

  

   

Comments

[Kim]

Green Porno films are fabulous. I remember an NPR interview with Isabella discussing her inspiration.

Loved this post. We were at the zoo yesterday discussing this exact topic with my 3-year-old daughter. Not as in depth, but still it came up!

(I've also made a sea urchin-inspired crocheted stone from your Purl Bee posting. Love that, too!)

Happy Sunday!

[Christina J.]

This was a great post. Loved the pictures!

[Lisa at Lil Fish Studios]

Nature is fascinating. I've only seen one of those green porno clips, I think it was on the whale. I'll have to check them out. Funny.

The card is gorgeous, M. Happy Sunday.

[Ruth Hower]

There's always something new to learn from you, Margie! Yesterday, while weeding,I carefully avoided disturbing a large colorful spider sitting on a coneflower. I didn't know about their habits other than their beautiful webs (they appear so quickly on my porch over night!) Now I'll be more observant, thanks to you. Your card is lovely, as is all your work! Enjoy this beautiful day! xoxoxox

[Ansie]

I can see your new camera is hard at work! Beautiful pictures...
And I love the card.

[joanie]

She is the most beautiful spider and the card is just amazing.
I don't think we have those lovely spiders in our area.

[Jill Wignall]

oh you are brave! I got the creeps just reading this. It's great though, that you don't get scared and you capture these impressive images. That card is fantastic!

[Liesel]

This is the first time I have come across your blog (reached through Perl Bee) and although I have an intense dislike of spiders (comes from growing up Australia with the very large and scary Huntsmen plus a range of poisonous spiders), I also find their lives fascinating. I also wanted to share an amazing experience I had yesterday in the garden. I was bending over weeding and a tiny hummingbird flew right up to me and just hovered a few centimetres away from my face. It flew away to a nearby bush, had some tasty nectar and then came back to hover again by my face...it was the most amazing experience, it was quite fearless. I love these tiny delicate creatures. It was one of the most wonderful experiences.

[Sonia]

I've noticed this dimorphism, more particularly with birds. The card is really out of this world, I swear. The most beautiful web I have ever seen !
I hope you had a great weekend, my friend xoxo

[Lovely World]

How interesting! I love Isabella Rossellini and the quote here. Your card is beautiful - a window onto the world.

[Ajf 4]

When you are skinning your customers, you should leave some skin on to grow so that you can skin them again.

[melissa]

this is such a great post, margie. i love isabella rossellini and will look up her film. it sounds amazing! i love your spider photos- i've never seen anything like them before.

(p.s. like your commenter above, i am having to work hard to not get creeped out by spiders, down here at the bottom of the world we have some fairly dangerous ones...)

[=mew=]

I love closeup looks at nature. Always so fascinating. Thanks for taking the time to show us. Mary Ellen