There are some weird and wonderful ways in which animals will attempt to attract a mate, and in some cases stay alive while doing so!! Female Black Widow spiders are around twice the size of males. It is a risky business being a male spider looking for a mate. They have to make sure when approaching the female’s web that they are not mistaken for prey and eaten!! This is done by spider twerking!! The male vibrates his abdomen quickly which sends signals along the strands of the web. He does this in a distinct pattern to show that he is not prey.
The scorpion also risks death trying to find a mate. The male has to approach carefully so he has not mistaken for dinner! He does this by dancing towards her, waving his pincers and tail. Once he knows it is safe to approach, he takes the females’s pincers in his own, and they start dancing. The dance can last up to two days!! If the female is not interested the scorpions start stinging each other. If one gets stung to0 much they can actually die.
Let’s not forget the red-capped manakin – a bird which dances as if it was doing the moonwalk! They even add their own sound effects to the dance, by buzzing and flapping at the same time .
Plants also have weird and wonderful ways of reproducing. The skunk cabbage grows in wet areas of New Jersey forests. It is one of the first plants to bloom, and it is able to increase its own heat. This allows it to melt the snow around it!! It als0 produces a smell, similar to rotting flesh, which attracts any bees and insects that are around when it is still so cold!!
GCSE scientists – you need to be able to explain the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction and the different types of cell division. For help, try our new guide “How to work with Reproduction and Cell Division”. As always there are questions to try, and answers to check your understanding.
Click on the picture below to see the guide.
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