Spider Sex
The male spider makes a sperm web--a small web on which he deposits a single drop of sperm. The droplet is then inducted into the modified pedipalp, rather like the bulb on a fountain pen. The male then wanders off in search of a female, usually not eating until he finds a mate. Mating between two predators is often precarious, and he has to court and mate with the female incredibly carefully.
A female spider can store sperm for several months, until it’s the right season for egg-laying. The sperm is stored in special receptacles inside her body, and as the eggs are laid the sperm is released and fertilization occurs. A female can mate more than once, and lay several egg sacs. The sacs are made of silk--softest silk on the inside, toughest on the outside--and can be found in all kinds of places: on leaves, in cracks of bark, or on a web.
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