How Male Spiders Use Eavesdropping to One-Up Their Rivals

ScienceDaily (Jan. 4, 2012) — Researchers have made a new discovery into the complex world of spiders that reflects what some might perceive as similar behavior in human society. As male wolf spiders go searching for a mate, it appears they eavesdrop, match and even try to outdo the mating dances of their successful rivals, a behavior seen mainly in vertebrate animals.

The study co-authored by David Clark, a professor of biology at Alma College; J. Andrew Roberts, an associate professor in the department of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at The Ohio State University at Newark; and George W. Uetz, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cincinnati; is published this month in Biology Letters, a journal of the Royal Society of London.

"Eavesdropping on the communication of others is widespread among animals and often serves as a means of obtaining information. For example, studies of birds, mammals and fish have shown that male bystanders observing male-male contests can learn about the strengths of potential opponents, while female observers may copy the mate choices of others," says Clark, the lead author and co-investigator on the study. "This new discovery shows that male wolf spiders also eavesdrop on the visualsignals of courting males."

Read more at:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104115055.htm