See the Breathtaking Dance of the Peacock Spider!

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.therainforestsite.com/peacockspiderdance/#wXUM878S8gkcbUPU.97

When the peacock spider wants to attract a mate, he does one of the most spectacular dances in the animal kingdom! Named for their bright colors and fancy moves, the male peacock spider must pull out some stellar moves to avoid being devoured by its potential mate.

Madeline Girard, an animal behavior specialist, is fascinated by this wild ritual, and has been studying the arachnid’s dance at her lab in UC Berkeley — and in the meantime has identified a number of unique and previously unknown species in the process!

Watch the video to have a look at these beautiful rhythmic creatures.

Published on Sep 18, 2014

With their ornately-colored bodies, rhythmic pulsations, and booty-shaking dance moves, male peacock spiders attract the attention of spectating females as well as researchers. One such animal behavior specialist, Madeline Girard, collected more than 30 different peacock spider species from the wilds of Australia and brought them back to her lab at UC Berkeley. Under controlled conditions, she recorded their unique dances in the hopes of deciphering what these displays actual say to a female spider and how standards differ between species.

All lab spider footage ©Madeline Girard

[Baitball Blogger]

1. Score a ten or be eaten!

Thanks for sharing this.

[ffr]

2. The experiments were going along swimmingly until some spiders escaped

Unfortunately, spiders from the southern hemisphere completely forget how to dance once their in the northern hemisphere.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. Imagine the frustration of the females wanting to end the bad ones.