So the females bite the heads off the males, and later the whole body, but the male’s body finds it’s mating spot and continues to mate for hours
Attenborough describes as hormones and enzymes being responsible, and that the female derives much energy from this exchange resulting in more eggs, but why are they driven to do so?
What selection pressures would select for this? There are other insect species that don’t need to consume their partner, nor do they need the extra energy. The male being able to mate after being headless would also have been selected for? I don’t understand why this would be the case
In: Biology
KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid
No need to “code” different behavior between “being a Mantis and eating anything that moves” and “don’t eat this thing, it gives me sperm”
As a programmer, I admire the simplicity
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