Animals That Kill Their Mates After Mating
ORB WEAVER SPIDERS These spiders get their name from the large, spiral-shaped webs that they weave. There are more than 3,000 different orb weaver species around the world, and a number of these species are known for killing and eating their mates. Since females are much larger than males are, males are easy to prey on.
LABORD’S CHAMELEON These tiny chameleons have violent mating habits that sometimes result in death! Not only do males fight with each other to attract mates, but females and males fight each other while mating. This is usually fatal, and both males and females die shortly after breeding.
OCTOPUSES Octopuses are highly intelligent, but mating can still be a big risk for these cephalopods. In order to mate, male octopuses must place one of its arms inside of the female’s mantle cavity. This process can take hours, and if a female becomes agitated, it could end badly for the male.
BEES Bees are known for collecting pollen and making honey, but drone bees don’t engage in this behavior. These bees only have one purpose: to mate with a queen bee. Mating is fatal for drone bees, and after a bee has finished mating, its body falls away, leaving part of its endophallus attached to the queen.
ANACONDAS Female anacondas aren’t able to eat during their pregnancy, and because of that, they’ll sometimes eat mates to get the nutrients they need for the next seven months! After mating, sometimes anacondas will squeeze their mates to death and then feed on their bodies. Male anacondas can be a valuable source of protein.
BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS Mating is a dangerous activity for many spiders, including the black widow! True to their name, females often kill and eat their mates, making themselves widows! While this behavior is most commonly seen in females, male black widows may also eat their mates! According to researchers, male spiders sometimes eat older females.
SEA SLUGS Many sea slug species are hermaphrodites. While these species are capable of self-fertilization, some of these sea slugs still prefer to mate with a partner. Unfortunately, this process doesn’t always end well for the sea slug.
PRAYING MANTISES The praying mantis has a varied diet that includes spiders, grasshoppers, and even small lizards and birds! In some cases, they may also eat their mates! Females are much larger than males, and they sometimes bite off the male’s head immediately after mating.
JUMPING SPIDERS Like many types of spiders, jumping spiders have extremely poor vision. Due to their weak eyesight, it can make it difficult for them to distinguish between different types of spiders. It’s not unusual for male jumping spiders to try to attract the attention of any female spider nearby, including spiders of a different species.