Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News, uses cookies to personalize your experience and improve our services. For more information on how we use cookies on our websites, visit our Cookie Policy.
Reviews Animals

‘Cannibalism’ chronicles grisly science of eating your own

Zoologist ranges far and wide to explore topic with high ‘ick factor’

black widow spider

DINING HABITS  In a new book about cannibalism, a zoologist argues that female black widow spiders (Latrodectus mactans shown) don’t deserve their bad rap. They don’t eat their mates as frequently as once thought.

Shenrich91/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Sid Perkins

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Animals

  1. blackpoll warbler
    Animals

    A naturalist writes an homage to bird migration

    By Diana Steele
  2. PigeonBot
    Life

    ‘PigeonBot’ is the first robot that can bend its wings like a real bird

    By Maria Temming
  3. common murre seabirds
    Life

    The ‘Blob,’ a massive marine heat wave, led to an unprecedented seabird die-off

    By Jonathan Lambert
  4. Cat on grass
    Neuroscience

    A parasite that makes mice unafraid of cats may quash other fears too

    By Laura Sanders
  5. Rescuer with koala
    Animals

    Australian fires have incinerated the habitats of up to 100 threatened species

    By John Pickrell
  6. flycatcher
    Life

    A ‘bonanza’ of new bird species was found on remote Indonesian islands

    By Jake Buehler
  7. reef damselfish
    Life

    Ocean acidification may not make fish act weird after all

    By Jonathan Lambert
  8. Jane Goodall
    Science & Society

    A new exhibit invites you to step into Jane Goodall’s life

    By Erin Wayman

From the Nature Index

Paid Content