Matriphagy

Perhaps I came across an example of matriphagy here. Whereby the offspring of an organism will feast upon the body of the mother who brought them in to the world.

 

Also known as suicidal maternal care, here we see a mother spider with her young - as I approached I saw that she was covered in tens of these spiderlings, but many ran away as I got closer. So the few seen here are just a fraction of how many were on her and perhaps benefitting from this most generous of gifts.

 

Matriphagy can lead to accelerated growth and development of the offspring.

 

It's a fascinating subject. I learned that scientists have discovered that the mother begins to digest her own tissues - the ovaries, the heart and surrounding tissues are the last organs to degenerate.

 

These observations suggest that maternal care is a 'one-way street' and once the process of tissue disintegration begins, the female’s only option is to continue on to matriphagy.

 

I'm not sure what type of spider this is, but have added it to my orb weaver Araneidae album for now.

 

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Done