Complexity, complexity, complexity. This article sure talks about complexity a lot, but it’s all produced spontaneously by spiders.

Across 44 mating trials, researchers found males copulated more and faster if they produced complex signals in their courtship.

This meant mixing up the transitions between two noises, what sounds like a fingernail on a rough surface (aka ‘revs’) and the clattering of high heels on a linoleum floor (aka ‘idles’).

These signals are not only watched by the female spider, they are felt in the form of vibrations (as spiders don’t have ears).

In cases where the female looked especially fertile, as conveyed by her body size, successful male spiders stepped up their transitions and began improvising with patterns of sound.

The findings suggest male wolf spiders are altering their signaling complexity according to feedback from the females.

“We see that in lots of other animal groups, but people who work on other animal groups are often surprised when they see stories of spiders engaging in these sophisticated behaviors,” says behavioral ecologist Eileen Hebets from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

I think it’s a modern fusion, Jazz-Flamenco. The spiders I work with do similar sorts of artistic courtships, but it’s all about plucking strings leading to percussive massage.