Herpetological misinformation and sensationalism: media framing on biological and ecological aspects of the golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis)

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  Herpetological misinformation and sensationalism: media framing on biological and ecological aspects of the golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis) Abstract The internet is currently one of the most important means of communication, which may include the circulation of misinformation. Snakes have always been a target of the sensationalist media, being pictured as scary and aggressive animals to be killed indiscriminately by humans. Such fear based on misinformation may compromise species conservation. Here, we address the spread of misinformation about Bothrops insularis and Queimada Grande Island in digital media, highlighting the negative impact on public perception and species conservation. The analysis of 230 online sources revealed that approximately 94% of them contained false information, many using sensationalist language, especially regarding the toxicity of the venom and the population density of the snake, as well as bringing contents that did not align with scientific d...

Weathering the storm for love: Mate searching behaviour of wild males of the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus)

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Weathering the storm for love: Mate searching behaviour of wild males of the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus)

    Abstract

The risky business of mate-searching often leaves the actively searching sex facing threats and rapidly changing conditions. Yet, active mate-searching behaviour is rarely studied in invertebrates, and we have limited understanding of how mate-searching strategies have evolved to cope with risks posed by harsh weather. We investigated how mate-searching males move through their habitat and how their movement is affected by weather conditions in the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus), one of the world's most venomous spiders. As is common in mygalomorphs spiders, females are functionally sessile, and are thought to spend their whole lives in a single burrow, whereas males must permanently abandon their burrows to mate during the breeding season. Nineteen male spiders were fitted with micro-radio transmitters and tracked during their mating seasons in 2020 (n = 2), 2021 (n = 8) and 2022 (n = 9) in Lane Cove National Park, in Sydney, Australia. Males moved at night, typically in a zig-zag pattern, and were found in new locations on approximately 50% of daily resighting's. Males often spent several days in a female's burrow, and some female burrows were visited by multiple males. When outside a female's burrow, males constructed and occupied temporary shelters ('temporacula'). Males were most likely to move and/or moved furthest when there was no rain, and on warm nights after cool days. Our findings suggest that mate-searching A. robustus males prefer to search for females in less risky conditions, revealing novel risk-minimizing strategies, especially in response to rainfall and temperature.


Weathering the storm for love: Mate searching behaviour of wild males of the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus) Caitlin Nicole Creak, Hugo Muirhead, Russell Bonduriansky, Michael Kasumovic, Bruno Buzatto 

bioRxiv 2024.07.23.604707; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.23.604707