The weird, secret and brutal sex lives of redback spiders

By Marcus Strom
Updated October 27 2016 - 12:18pm, first published September 21 2016 - 11:56am
A male (top) redback spider climbs on the back of a female before mating at Taronga Zoo in 2005.  Photo: Tim Wimborne/Reuters
A male (top) redback spider climbs on the back of a female before mating at Taronga Zoo in 2005. Photo: Tim Wimborne/Reuters
Redback spider.
Redback spider.
A male (top) redback spider climbs on the back of a female before mating at Taronga Zoo. Photo: Tim Wimborne
A male (top) redback spider climbs on the back of a female before mating at Taronga Zoo. Photo: Tim Wimborne

This is not a story for the faint-hearted.

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