Twerking works in drawing fame for some, such as Miley Cyrus, or it could even save lives, as in the case of male black widow spiders.
A study conducted by experts from Simon Fraser University revealed that male black widows vibrate their abdomens when they crawl up the web of a potential mate. This move by the smaller male spider is done to signal that they're not food for the bigger female black widow spider.
"The web functions as an extension of the spider's exquisitely tuned sensory system, allowing her to very quickly detect and respond to prey coming into contact with her silk. This presents prospective mates with a real challenge when they first arrive at a female's web: they need to signal their presence and desirability, without triggering the female's predatory response," said SFU graduate student and co-author Catherine Scott.
The study published on the journal "Frontiers in Zoology," looked into the early courtship phase of the said spiders where sexual cannibalism is very common. The proponents used laser Doppler vibrometry to measure the vibrations produced by the male black widow and the natural preys of the female black widow such as crickets and house flies.
"What the male does, it has very subtle abdominal tremulations, so very subtle lateral movements of the abdomen that may be comparable to the twerks, absolutely. These very subtle twerks cause these very subtle vibrations of the web, and that is what the female spider will respond to in a very friendly, rather than aggressive, nature," said professor Gerhard Gries of Simon Fraser in an interview. "It opens our minds to the intricate communication systems that are happening, not only in the spider world but in the animal kingdom."
According to the authors, the preys had a percussive quality, shorter, and sporadic vibrations that spell their doom as soon as they land or fall on the web. In contrast, the "whispers" and calculated walk of the male black widow guarantee its safety. The proponents played the recorded vibration of the male black widow but set the volume louder. The higher amplitude triggered an attack.
Hobo spiders were also involved in the experiment. While vibrations were also observed with hobo male spiders, the researchers did not see any twerking and the vibrations produced by the male does not differ much from that produced by prey.
