As every lothario knows, women cannot resist being given something precious and beautifully wrapped, and according to scientists that trick extends to the world of spiders.
Published: 7:00AM BST 05 Jun 2009
The male nursery web spider knows the secret of wooing with a shiny gift too.
He presents the object of his affection with a morsel of food carefully wrapped in silk.
The longer it takes her to open the present, the more she rewards her eight-legged Romeo with sexual intercourse.
Expert Dr Ed Sykes believes cash-strapped men could learn a lesson from Mr Nursery Web.
"The implication for men in the current climate is clear: don't worry about the actual gift, just make sure you wrap it up nicely!
"Spend time rather than money on your courtship and reap the rewards," he said, speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival.
Dr Sykes, from the University of Edinburgh, was giving a talk entitled Penisology – An Eye-Opening Look Into Sex In The Animal World.
He said that, contrary to popular opinion, the female of the species is often the most sex-mad.
"Ultimately this is explained by females using sex as a way of testing males," said Dr Sykes. "The one that can keep them most satisfied will be the biggest, strongest, healthiest, and crucially will have the best genes. Essentially whoever stimulates them gets to father the most children. It's a novel excuse for infidelity when you say you're doing it for the kids!"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5447368/Spider-woos-mate-with-shiny-gifts.html
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