Romance, dance dates, fancy gifts, and chastity
belts… Murderous femme fatales, jealous dudes, extortion,
and mind-control… Game of Thrones may be back on the air, but
there’s another world filled with even more violence, treachery, and plot-twists than
your average Lannister party… The sex lives of insects and spiders. It’s kind of a free-for-all. [INTRO] [1. Praying Mantis ] Perhaps no other insect is more associated
with their bad mating behavior than the female praying mantis, who’s known for her tendency
to decapitate and then devour male suitors. And okay, yeah, the rumors are based in truth.
Kind of. A lot of mantis ladies do this. But mantis sexual cannibalism is actually
less common than you might think — it happens in about 25 percent of matings in the wild.
And it isn’t typically required for successful fertilization. That said, eating your mate comes with a couple
of nice perks. For one, it’s a free meal. Female mantises are bigger than their partners,
and if they’re really hungry, a uh, preoccupied male is an easy target. Generally, a starving
or malnourished female is much more likely to chow down on her date than a well-fed one. Beheading their partner in mid-copulation
may also offer females an advantage that’s a little more macabre. You’d think severing a brain mid-hump would
end the mating, but it turns out that disconnecting the male’s brain and his body actually sparks
more spasms — and more sperm. And though I’m sure any male would prefer
to keep his life and wander off to mate another day, those who do wind up as dinner may keep
females better fed, increasing their chances of passing along their genes. [2. Honey Bee] Scientists still aren’t sure whether some
male mantises deliberately offer themselves up as a snack, but they’re not the only
insects who engage in sexual suicide… In the caste system of a honey bee hive, every
bee knows its role, and male drones aren’t much more than sperm donors. They don’t gather pollen, or help maintain
larvae or the hive’s architecture. They don’t fight off intruders. Really, their only job is to find queens from
other hives, mate with them in mid-flight, and go out in a blaze of glory. See, when a successful drone uncouples from
his queen, his penis and some abdominal tissues are ripped out of him, and, well, he dies. His passion literally rips his guts out. Take
that, poets! Ms. Queen Bee, on the other hand, can potentially
mate with dozens of drones over several mating flights, tucking their sperm away for future
use over the next few years of egg-laying within the safety of her hive. But don’t think unsuccessful drones have
it any better — because come autumn, those freeloaders get kicked out of the hive by
their sisters, and are left to freeze to death. Then there are the more — can we call them
romantic? — bugs. The ones who sing and dance and put on shows, or woo their loves with
special gifts. [3. Fireflies] When it comes to impressive visual displays,
it’s hard to compete with a firefly’s flashy light show. These flying beetles have special light organs
in their abdomens that contain a compound called luciferin, which reacts with incoming
oxygen to create that classic firefly glow. The animals regulate this inflow of oxygen
to create blinking patterns, and each species uses its own individual flash code to attract
mates, almost like a visual morse code. A hopeful male flies around in the dark, blinking
his little heart out, and if his lightshow is good enough to catch a choosy female’s
eye, she’ll start signalling back at him. A flashy display is important, but a hopeful
male also has to bring gifts if he hopes to retain his lady friend’s interest. Researchers from Tufts University recently
found that female Photinus fireflies ultimately selected their mates based on the size of
their so-called nuptial gifts, not their light display. And by “gift,” I mean “packet of sperm.” During copulation, a male passes along a pile
of sperm wrapped up in a nutritious, coil-shaped protein packet called a spermatophore that
increases female fertility by providing her developing oocytes with extra energy. The larger the gift, the more likely she’ll
accept her suitor and make him a father. Researchers haven’t yet figured out how
the female can tell which males can offer them a bigger packet. But to a female firefly, size does matter. [4. Dung Beetle] Other animals woo with simpler gifts, and
nothing wins the fair heart of a lady dung beetle like a nice round ball of poo. Poop is everything to a dung beetle. They
collect it, eat it, and even raise their children in it. There’s a reason why we call them dung beetles. After bumping into each other at, say, a fresh
elephant or cow patty, some dung beetles form a pair bond, rolling their own giant dung
ball off into the sunset together. Once they find a nice soft piece of land,
they’ll bury their precious poo-ball, and start mating, sometimes in tunnels through
the dung itself. The female lays her eggs in smaller brood
balls, which will be a nice snack for her grubs once they hatch. In many species, one or both parents stick
around and continue to care for their offspring as they mature — a rare behavior in the insect
world. Real salt-of-the-Earth, those dung beetles. But not everyone is impressed with poop. Some
ladies prefer more conventional displays, like sweet dance moves. [5. Peacock Spider] At just a few millimeters long, furry Australian
peacock spiders are tiny. But they’ve still got style — I’m talking the wardrobe of
Elton John and the dance skills of Channing Tatum. To attract female attention, a male starts
out by vibrating his abdomen and waving one pair of legs around like he’s directing
traffic. Once he’s got an audience, he pulls out
the big guns, extending his colorful, iridescent abdominal flaps and excitedly flipping them
up behind his head like a peacock’s tail. Then he shimmies around, giddily shaking his
legs in the air, bouncing from side to side, drumming the ground and shaking what his mama
gave him. It’s all very adorable. If the object of his affection is suitably
impressed, she’ll allow him to mate with her. If she isn’t… he’d better pack
up and get out of dodge quick, or he’ll end up as her dinner. [6. Mayfly] For some insect species, like the mayfly,
there is no life at all after mating. After spending a couple of years in freshwater
in their aquatic nymph stage, mayflies finally complete their lifecycle when they hatch into
delicate winged adults. Often entire local populations hatch at the
same time, in a winged frenzy of sometimes millions of insects. One Mississippi River population hatches in
hordes of around 18 trillion animals! This synchronicity lowers the chance of any
one mayfly getting eaten, while the general orgy environment increases their chances of
getting laid… which is literally their sole mission in life. Seriously, they can’t even eat. They don’t
have functional mouthparts or a working digestive system. And once they hatch, the party doesn’t last
long. Most species don’t live as adults for more
than 24 hours, and one species only lasts five minutes — a record in the insect world. No wonder the mayfly is classified under the
order Ephemeroptera [eff-em-er-OP-ti-ruh], from the word ephemeral, or fleeting. Mayflies mate in mid-air, above the water,
and the female then lays her eggs on the water’s surface before collapsing. The dying females provide a smorgasbord for
local fish, the males go off to die on land, and their fertilized eggs sink to the bottom
of the water where they’ll eventually hatch into nymphs, destined to spend only a single,
glorious day in the air. While short-lived insects like mayflies need
to mate fast, other species like to take their sweet time. [7. Soapberry Bug ] Meet the long and colorful soapberry bug. In certain climates, female soapberry bugs
face higher mortality rates than males, which leads to a skewed sex ratio and a whole lot
of dudes competing for relatively few females. Not only that, but like many insect species,
females often mate with a number of males, and it’s usually the sperm of the last male
in the lineup that actually fertilizes her eggs. This means that male soapberry bugs have to
fight to /find/ females — and then fight again to be the last guy on her dance card. One way they do this is by prolonging copulation,
even after insemination is long over. Males can hang on for hours, days, or even
more than a week, withdrawing only long enough for the female to lay eggs. This type of mating guarding can get so intense
that some males will keep clutching their mates even after the females have died. Luckily, matings tend to be a lot quicker
when populations are more balanced since competition isn’t as high. [8. Fruit fly ] On the other hand, if you’re a male Drosophila
melanogaster [meh-luh-no-GAS-ter] fruitfly, it may pay to be the first in line, not the
last. Why? Because their seminal fluid contains
special mind-controlling proteins that affect the female’s behavior. Some of these proteins spark cause egg production,
while others seem to have an almost hypnotic effect, making her less interested in sex
with other males. Presumably both of those things give her mate
a reproductive edge over his competitors. One study out of University of Washington
suggests that the more seminal fluid a female takes in, the greater the influence her mate
has on her reproductive behavior. That seems maybe a little messed up, but when
it comes to skeezy mating tactics, one bug really takes the lowdown prize. [9. Waterstrider] Perhaps you’ve see a long-legged waterstrider,
gliding over the surface of a pond with all the grace of an Olympic skater. Don’t be fooled — when it comes to mating,
the tactics these guys use are harsh. When a male is in the mood to mate, he just
jumps on the nearest female without bothering to court her first. If she’s not into it, she can actually block
her vagina with a hard genital shield — sort of like a chastity belt — and hope he moves
on. If he doesn’t move on, though, she might
be in trouble. He’ll start using his legs to tap out a
specific rhythm on the water, attracting underwater predators like fish and backswimmer bugs. Because those predators attack from below,
a pinned female waterstrider knows she’s the one most likely to get snatched and eaten. So she’ll lower her shield and give in to
stop her mate from tapping. Stay classy, waterstriders. Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow,
which was brought to you by our patrons on Patreon. If you want to help support this
show, just go to patreon.com/scishow. And don’t forget to go to youtube.com/scishow
and subscribe!
- and
- backswimmer bugs
- Beheading
- Bug Mating
- bugs
- Drosophila melanogaster
- dung beetle
- Ephemeroptera
- Fireflies
- fruit fly
- green
- Hank
- Hank Green
- hard genital shield
- honey bee
- insect mating
- insects
- luciferin
- male drone
- mating guarding
- mayfly
- nuptial gifts
- peacock spider
- Praying Mantis
- Science
- scishow
- sex
- Sexual Cannibalism
- soapberry bug
- spermatophore
- The
- their
- waterstrider
Drone bees have it so bad.
They have to get laid but it's so bad that they die, and if they don't they get kicked out into to cold, by a sister…
FACK THAT'S BAD
Black widow female spiders also eat their partner but they alway do eat him after mating
Crashcurse!!!!!
How did I get here
The Mayfly photo was not from the Missisipi, but from the Tisza river in Hungary.
If they are bigger they should be called Fatass
wow those are some cool BED bugs
im a kid and i have seen soapberry bugs atached to another one
Haha, i found it sooo funny & amusing, especially last one 😀
what am i doing with my life…
😀😁😄😃😂😂
Waterstrider why? Why?
damn
waterstriders.
#7 the Soapberry Bugs' mating rituals are what Tinder was based on: some females and a smorgasbord of male bio adaptors
Waterstriders are jerks!
Some of these bugs go out with a bang
He just said pooball in a sentence. That made my day
Sheesh, water striders. And you're the guys we call "Jesus bugs".
wait…we watch your videos in school…for science?
I wrote a sci-fi novel with a pal and one of the creatures in it is called the ‘willis’ and it’s breeding ritual is fairly weird.
Female Willis are much bigger and kidnap the males at night, and forcefully mates with it and since the females are SO much bigger the males reproductive organs get ripped out and they end up bleeding to death
How about mating with your sister bug…..
while still inside your mothers' womb?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adactylidium
Woah best of all episode!!
That bee is a thooooot.
Still a better love story than twilight
…in a blaze of glory!!! ♪ ♪ ♪
The first one is a feminists dream
Hahah males
I hope peacock spiders are on this.
Oh good they are.
Oh yeah so females peacock spiders still might eat the male even if they mate.
Oh I know about the waterstriders. When my siblings would catch them and show them to our dad, he would say "You little rapist, you" in a cutesy voice. Most of the time this happened we'd be in glacier water on a hot day surrounded by several large families.
If jesus can walk on water, can he swim on land?
I didn't think extreme mating rituals could be done with talking
Peacock spider quite literally dances for his life.
This takes the whole, "Aw, you're so cute I could just eat you up!" To a whole new level.
Why am I watching this? Its my first day of school tomorrow 😂
Well, there’s a new meaning to tap dat.
Those waterstrider females need to get their feminism on!
A life of zero sex or death. Tough choice.
Now I know what species FEMINIST evolve from. Those waterstrider definitely r there past self. Guaranteed
I wanna know why do you get higher fevers at night 🙏🏾
I want to believe I would produce less sperm if I were decapitated.
I thought that with that type of spider the music it produces causes the female to be stunned or something. Idk really know so don't take this to heart.
Male water strider: hey?
Female water strider: what?
Male strider: have sex with me
Female strider: no, I’m not in the mood
Male strider: I said, let’s go—NOW!!
Female strider: No! I already told you I don’t wanna do it.
Male strider ( tapping water surface): this is your last chance, let’s mate or you’ll get eaten by fish.
Female strider: OKAY! Okay! Fine!
Can u help me identify the male waterstriders so i can step on them?
Peacock spider has dem moves
Guys, next time you have sex think about tortillas, alright?!
😐
Why did I scroll down to the comments section.
Funny how people my age go to parties and have sleepovers on Friday nights … eheheheheh im here ….. and depressed af
"Stay classy water striders."
🤣
water striders are cruel!
Wait, there were no spiders in this list after you said them in the beginning title! What about bed bugs and nursery spiders and black widows?! I NEED AN ARACHNID VERSION NOW!!
hes a virgin what does he know
Or bed bugs… Stab stab!
tap tap tap tap
I might need to use the waterstrider tactic :thinking:
guys if you want to learn something about sex and evolution you can read why is the sex funny from jared diamond.
So the female waterstrider mates with a male because she wants him to stop trying to attract predators?
And science still isn't sure if insects can feel fear?
Cause that sounds like fear to fear to me. You sure it's not?
1:06
When he says “Preoccupied” He sounds like Kermit 😂
You see a hoard of mayflies you better run. They go everywhere!
Waterstrider male: IF I CANT MATE WITH YOU NO ONE WILL
Not my proudest fap…but it will do.
so waterstriders are into bdsm, nice.
That last one is from a horror movie.
Shaking what his mama gave him XD
Water striders Tf? why do they exist god damn pricks those things are
Who else loves killing mayflies
So cutting off praying mantis heads makes them nut more intensely…….. wonder how we found that out.
I saw a water strider on top of another and it was tapping the water, I picked them up and seporated them lol… hello I am your guardian for prom
Epic rap battle: Hank Green vs Simon Whistler
So that Jesus bug is a rapist damn nature you are scary!
"sparks more spasms and more sperm" thats a terrifying mental image
gezz the water striders are savages we need make genetically modificaded female striders that are feminists
Mind controlling sperm? I'm pretty sure there's a doujin about that
Sadly the video recommended in the end of this one, "10 surprising chemicals your body makes" is not a clickable link, just a picture. This seems to be happening in all SciShow videos. When other people put a thumbnail of another video of theirs in their video, it can be clicked on and then said video can be watched easily. This contributes to more views, as sometimes people are not sure whether they want to watch another video right now and if they have to type in the title and search it they might not watch it now and forget about it later.
Wow water striders are big dicks
I am glad that this guy is narrating. He is hilarious.
Crash course
Wait… how did I get here from a cooking video…
Finally a reason to watch more SciShow insex
Why didn't you mention bed bugs
5.6 million subscribers and still doing patreon and youtube join thing. If I were a patreon I'd ask for a video on human greed
"take out" can mean eat, murder or date but if you are a praying mantis it can be all three
Damn, as crazy as this is, I guarantee that all these males are saying that, don't feel bad for me, if I have to go, this is hands down one of the absolute best ways to go. Hahaha, going out while having sex while also passing on your genes, oh boy, what a great way to die. Dying while getting laid, I mean I'm sure they don't want to die or be freaking eaten by his mate but yeah……. he is definitely thinking "Damn, what a way to go".
Or how about on monster bug wars, the spider who is also a hell of a lot smaller than the females, but he turned his little bum up to her mouth, hahaha. I guess he was expecting to be eaten by her.
Male water strider: Lets make BABIES!!!
Female water strider: No way, Jose!!!
Male water strider: Ok….. then DIE!!!!!!
Female water strider: Um… on second thought…..
Why don't u show yourself less, & show more of those bugs/insects you are talking about???
No bed bug?
For shame.
Mantis eats mate to have a better sexual experience: fine
Waterstrider jumps on mate: skeevy. -_- cmon man
Damn water striders are assholes
Jumping spiders like the peacock spider are my favourites. They have personally.
Gosh…the waterstrider sure knows the concept of threatening
“Take that, middle school poets.” This man is such a special kind of genius.
I came here looking for lovebugs, disappointing but still satisfied.
This makes my feet tingly
Bro I’ve found honey bees before with there stingers gone and queens with males parts still attached
Good thing im not a firefly….
Firefly Blinky mating rituals? Pfft. Have you seen the Birds of Paradise???
Im a water strider
I’ve been in the midst of a mayfly infestation. It was traumatizing to say the least. 😣
The dung beetles, in their own weird way, are kinda romantic.
Funny all the different insects he mentioned uses one or the other technique but we have all that traits 😂😂