# Female Mantis eats mate during sex

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-mantis-eats-mate-during-sex/185726>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 2, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-mantis-eats-mate-during-sex/185726 "2003-07-02T05:35:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nickn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ed8c4c/32.png) [@nickn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nickn)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-mantis-eats-mate-during-sex/185726/1 "2003-07-02T05:35:49Z")

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The jun 28l/july 4th economist reports a report in the proceedings of the royal society about Orb weaving spiders.  
Apparently in one species the male dies immediately before the female attacks him.  
The reason is that when the male inserts a sperm organ called a pedipalp into the female and then inserts his second pedipalp in the female and he dies. Apparently this causes the pedipalps to inflate and lock up in the female, thus preventing other males from inseminating the female. So by dying he increased the chances of his genes propagating.

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-mantis-eats-mate-during-sex/185726/2 "2003-07-02T09:34:26Z")

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Link to article:  
[Does Mrs. Mantis bite Mr. Mantis’s head off during The Act?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_007.html)

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**Author:** ![nickn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ed8c4c/32.png) [@nickn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nickn)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-mantis-eats-mate-during-sex/185726/3 "2003-07-03T00:37:51Z")

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She eats him but it’s after he’s died.

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-mantis-eats-mate-during-sex/185726/4 "2003-07-03T21:03:41Z")

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Thanks for your information in the opening post, **nickn** , and welcome to the SDMB. I think I’ve found an on-line article related to information you mentioned.

[Spiders go from wed to dead.](http://www.nature.com/nsu/030623/030623-4.html)