Some male spiders catapult to flee their mates to avoid being eaten, study finds

Spiders moved at speeds recorded at up to 88 centimetres per second, Eleanor Sly reports

Philoponella prominens that were unable to escape the female they had just mated with, met an unfortunate ending (YouTube)

Some types of male spiders will catapult themselves into the air, attempting to flee their mate before she eats them, researchers have found.

The lengths that males of the orb-weaving spider Philoponella prominens will go to to avoid being eaten include throwing themselves into the air, faster than cameras can detect.

In a never before seen performance, the eight-legged creatures use a joint in their first pair of legs to push off the female in an extremely rapid action.