On the Origins of Sport: Male vs Male Two Males of Servaea incana Wrestle Each Other on Top of a Piece of Chalk

4K or HDV Colour Video
7:31 min

Two male Servaea incana wrestle each other on top of a piece of chalk. They begin with gentle tapping and communication with the tip of their legs and then launch at each other violently! ⁠
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Spider wrangler and arachnologist Rowan McGinley specialises in male to male competition in this species. For this film, he carefully weighted the males so they would be equals in battle. If one turned out to be smaller or lighter it would run away. ⁠
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Rowan approved my idea of using a piece of chalk as a stage for the battle since human wrestlers use chalk to dry their hands, he told me. It also helped them walk in parallel to the camera lens and because it was high up, they preferred to stay there than jump off. All the little techniques I learnt as a flea wrangler came in handy to make them perform for the camera.⁠

English