LOVE BITES: THE CURIOUS CASE OF SPIDER CANNIBALISM

2024

A Deadly Love Story

When it comes to dating, spiders take things to the extreme—sometimes turning their partners into a post-mating snack. Biologist Anastasia Shavrova wanted to know why, and we teamed up to bring her research to life with a quirky, Monty Python-inspired animation. It’s weird, it’s fascinating, and it’s all about the science of survival.

The Essentials

  • Organisation: Arludo

  • Target Audience: School Children

  • Platforms: Youtube, Facebook, Instagram

The Game Plan

Spiders have been known to find their partners quite tasty - literally. Spider Biologist Anastasia Shavrova is exploring why spiders eat their partners and Binkyfilms was asked to help animate this creepy behaviour. 

Sexual cannibalism is one of the most extreme forms of sexual conflict and is commonly performed by spiders. But why! How has this practice survived? Why isn’t this an evolutionary dead end? Isn’t sexual selection and mating a cooperative process? Anastasia, the team at Binkyfilms, and those with curious minds are asking these questions, so we put them into an animation with a fun, informative style. 

From Idea to Impact

We searched far and wide for an appropriate style to use for this quirky content. Then we remembered “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and the power of video collage. This style of animation has a strong history of working with quirky subject matter, dating back to 1917 when Quirino Cristiani pioneered the technique in an animated film called “El Apóstol”. Over time, the style has become a family favourite, often combining humour with a mixture of real photographs and illustrations. We thought this Frankenstein-like approach was perfect for the disturbing subject matter of spiders devouring their mates.