Smaller spiders make better lovers
Size matters when it comes to spider sex, but not in the way you think.
Researchers have found that diminutive spiders make ten times better lovers than their larger counterparts.
Experts found that while big males outperform smaller ones in head-to-head mating contests it is the little guys who get more action because they're quicker to mature and faster on their feet.
A study of redback spiders showed smaller ones had a ten-times higher paternity rate than larger males - because they can get to females faster.
However before any itsy-bitsy-spiders start celebrating their newfound stud status they should remember males are usually killed during the mating process.
The team from the University of New South Wales simulated two competitive contexts favouring the development of differently sized male redbacks in the study.
Dr Michael Kasumovic said: "The results reveal that big males don't get it all their own way,
"Nature favours larger and smaller males under different circumstances.
"Large size and weaponry are strong predictors of a male's competitive strengths because those traits help them dominate smaller males when they compete for food and mating rights.
"However, evidence from studies of midges, dung flies and seed beetles reveals that smaller males develop sooner than larger males and often mate before larger competing males arrive on the scene."
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