vibrations – envirobites

Prey or Mate – Can web-building spiders tell the difference?

March 20, 2022March 20, 2022 Brandi Pessman 0 Comments mates, prey, spiders, vibrations, webs

After reaching maturity, male web-building spiders leave their webs in search of a mate. The real challenge occurs once the male reaches a female’s web because the female could easily mistake male vibrations for prey vibrations. Not wanting to be the female’s next meal, the male needs to produce unique vibrations to identify itself as a potential mate, not prey. The female must decipher male and prey vibrations and delay attack when a potential mate enters the web. Will this be enough to avoid tragedy? Click to find out!

Animal behavior Environmental Science

Good Vibrations: Katydids communicate when the wind is calm

July 7, 2020July 7, 2020 Brandi Pessman 0 Comments communication, katydids, vibrations, wind

Bzzzt! Our phones vibrate to let us know that someone has sent us a message and would like to communicate. Hundreds of thousands of species of animals, including katydids, use vibrations to communicate too. Male katydids vibrate their abdomens against plant branches to send information to other katydids, but these communications can be interrupted when wind vibrates plant branches at the same time. To avoid this disruption, katydids wait until the wind calms down to broadcast their signals. “Can you hear me now?”