SEDUCTION IS ALWAYS AN awkward game. Stakes are high, as is the suitor’s vulnerability. But when the object of your desire is a ferocious predator that eats animals that look like you for breakfast, dating becomes a dance with death.
This is particularly true of Darwin’s). The female is Goliath to her mate’s David; about 14 times his weight. To seduce her, the male must gingerly traverse her enormous web – a succession of tripwires designed to sense the slightest vibration – and copulate, all without triggering her attacking instinct.
