Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q27 (IAS/2008) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) › Animal diversity behaviour Answer Verified

In which one of the following kinds of organisms is the phenomenon found wherein the female kills the male after copulation?

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: C
Explanation

The behaviour in which a female kills and sometimes eats the male after mating is called sexual cannibalism and is well-documented in spiders. Female black widows and related arachnids have been observed to consume males during or after copulation; western black widow females are known to occasionally ‘snack’ on smaller suitors [1]. Empirical reports and laboratory observations record females cannibalising males during mating in Latrodectus species, with multiple documented instances of males being eaten in copulatory contexts. This extreme post-copulatory killing distinguishes spiders from the other options (dragonfly, honeybee, pit viper), where female-initiated killing of the male after mating is not a characteristic mating strategy.

Sources

  1. [1] https://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/student-voices/male_black_widows_sniff_out/
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
50%
got it right
✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2012 · Q16 Relevance score: -4.03

Consider the following kinds of organisms : 1. Bat 2. Bee 3. Bird Which of the above is/are pollinating agent/agents?

IAS · 2014 · Q17 Relevance score: -4.33

Consider the following : 1. Bats 2. Bears 3. Rodents The phenomenon of hibernation can be observed in which of the above kinds of animals?

IAS · 2024 · Q18 Relevance score: -4.58

Consider the following : 1. Carabid beetles 2. Centipedes 3. Flies 4. Termites 5. Wasps Parasitoid species are found in how many of the above kind of organisms ?

IAS · 2014 · Q74 Relevance score: -4.64

Among the following organisms, which one does not belong to the class of other three?

IAS · 2022 · Q20 Relevance score: -4.67

Certain species of which one of the following organisms are well known as cultivators of fungi ?