How Do Spiders Get Pregnant?
WouterIf you’re wondering how spiders get pregnant, you’re not alone. There are more than 40,000 species of arachnids on the planet, and some are notably dangerous.
The majority of spiders are solitary, meaning they don’t live in groups. Their nests are usually made of silk, and they lay between two and thousands of eggs. Some of the eggs may contain spikes, and some are round. Depending on the temperature and the species, these egg sacs take between 30 and 50 days to hatch.
Female spiders enlarge their abdomens during pregnancy. They then wrap these eggs in more silk to make an egg sac. They hang the sac in a safe place, and guard it until the baby spiders hatch.
Male spiders have pedipalps, which look like two boxing gloves. These are used to pick up sperm from other spiders. The male deposits sperm in the epigynum of the female. The sperm is stored in specialized receptacles inside the female’s reproductive organs.
When a male spider becomes sexually mature, he inserts a second pedipalp into the epigynum of the female. This allows him to draw sperm into her vagina.
The female spider also uses specialized pedipalps to transfer sperm into her reproductive organs. These specialized pedipalps break off during mating, so the male doesn’t fertilize her.
Many species of spiders engage in sexual cannibalism. In some cases, the male eats the female, but in other cases, she eats him. This form of cannibalism is rare, and only occurs in Latrodectus and Allocosa braziliensis.
