Happy Friday, world! To get you through the end of the workweek, here's Mother Nature with a little pick-me-up: the mating display of the peacock spider Maratus volans. Entomologist Jürgen Otto has studied the tiny spiders in their native Australia for the last six years, and has captured what he says is the first footage of the species' elaborate mating dance. Out of all the varieties of peacock spider he's observed, Otto tells LiveScience
that Maratus volans is probably his favorite because it's the "most flamboyant of all." And that's saying something: his Flickr photostream
is probably the craziest collection of spiders you've ever seen. So without further ado, the peacock spider that tops the charts. If you don't want to wait for the buildup, jump to 2:38 for a montage of the males' best moves---and just try not to smile, we dare you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GgAbyYDFeg Image courtesy Jürgen Otto
