Unlike other sea spiders, which carry their eggs on their backs, male giant Colossendeis megalonyx spend two days attaching their eggs to the sea floor. This was revealed by experiments conducted by researchers from the College of Life Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Live Science.
These spiders have eight jointed legs and live in the world's cold oceans. Their legs can reach up to 51 cm in length, which is larger than the legs of spiders that live in warm waters. Their exclusively males deal with their offspring in a unique way.
The reproductive strategies of sea spiders have been studied for 140 years, but many mysteries remain unsolved. But now divers have descended into the icy waters of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica and have hand-collected individuals of Colossendeis megalonyx that appear to be past their breeding season.
It was published in the journal Ecology in mid-February Stady The pairs were then taken to the McMurdo Station research facility and placed in tanks so their behavior could be monitored, he said.
Thousands of eggs were laid at the bottom of the tanks, and the males supposedly spent two days fixing the offspring on the floor.
After a few weeks, the eggs appeared to be covered in algae, making them heavier and less noticeable. In other words, the algae provided them with excellent camouflage.