Navigated to Sex, Death and Spiders

Sex, Death and Spiders

Oct 1, 2025
25 mins

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Episode Description

Warning: This episode contains the unusual mating habits of spiders.  Autumn is the time for spiders, and the colder months mean our eight-legged friends are searching for something vital: sex.  Join arachnologist Anna Maka and author and broadcaster Lucy Cooke to uncover the fascinating and freaky sex lives of spiders and what it teaches us about evolution itself. 
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Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel:  
https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts   
 
 
Production
Presenter:  Rosie Holdsworth 
Producer and sound designer: Marnie Woodmeade

Contributors:
Lucy Cooke  
Anna Maka


Discover more
You can find Lucy’s book Bitch: On the female of the species here. 
You can find out more about Anna’s work with rare diamond back spiders here. 
Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account 
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
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