Aussie Bug Got It Right!
#1
Aussie Bug Got It Right!
Aussie Bug Got It Right!
LONDON (Reuters) - As life goes, it doesn't get much better than for
male Zeus bugs.
The tiny water bugs that are common along Australia's east coast have
an easy life. Their female partners provide free food, transport and
unlimited sex whenever they want it.
"All the advantages in this relationship seem to fall to the male with
no obvious advantage for the female, yet the female Zeus bug seems a
willing partner in this one-sided affair," Dr Mark Elgar, of the
University of Melbourne in Australia, said on Wednesday.
Elgar and his colleagues, who studied the unusual creatures, admit to
being baffled by their behavior, which defies the norm in animals and
insects.
The male Zeus bug is half the size of the female and hitches a piggy
back ride on the female which also feeds him.
"The male can ride the female, feeding and mating for up to a week,"
said Elgar, who reported his findings in the science journal Nature.
Why the female puts up with feeding and carrying the male around is a
mystery but Elgar and his colleagues suspect it is less tiring to put
up with one male partner than several.
"A constant stream of suitors wanting to participate in a polygamous
free-for-all could possibly lead to greater harassment, leading to the
female expending more energy and placing herself at greater risk of
harm than if she doted on just one male," Elgar said in a statement.
The male Zeus bug simply can't lose. He not only gets a free ride but
is assured that his sperm, and not his rival's, is used to create the
next generation.
cheers
richard
LONDON (Reuters) - As life goes, it doesn't get much better than for
male Zeus bugs.
The tiny water bugs that are common along Australia's east coast have
an easy life. Their female partners provide free food, transport and
unlimited sex whenever they want it.
"All the advantages in this relationship seem to fall to the male with
no obvious advantage for the female, yet the female Zeus bug seems a
willing partner in this one-sided affair," Dr Mark Elgar, of the
University of Melbourne in Australia, said on Wednesday.
Elgar and his colleagues, who studied the unusual creatures, admit to
being baffled by their behavior, which defies the norm in animals and
insects.
The male Zeus bug is half the size of the female and hitches a piggy
back ride on the female which also feeds him.
"The male can ride the female, feeding and mating for up to a week,"
said Elgar, who reported his findings in the science journal Nature.
Why the female puts up with feeding and carrying the male around is a
mystery but Elgar and his colleagues suspect it is less tiring to put
up with one male partner than several.
"A constant stream of suitors wanting to participate in a polygamous
free-for-all could possibly lead to greater harassment, leading to the
female expending more energy and placing herself at greater risk of
harm than if she doted on just one male," Elgar said in a statement.
The male Zeus bug simply can't lose. He not only gets a free ride but
is assured that his sperm, and not his rival's, is used to create the
next generation.
cheers
richard
#3
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Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Perth Arse end of the planet
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Re: Aussie Bug Got It Right!
Originally posted by r.bartlett
Aussie Bug Got It Right!
LONDON (Reuters) - As life goes, it doesn't get much better than for
male Zeus bugs.
The tiny water bugs that are common along Australia's east coast have
an easy life. Their female partners provide free food, transport and
unlimited sex whenever they want it.
"All the advantages in this relationship seem to fall to the male with
no obvious advantage for the female, yet the female Zeus bug seems a
willing partner in this one-sided affair," Dr Mark Elgar, of the
University of Melbourne in Australia, said on Wednesday.
Elgar and his colleagues, who studied the unusual creatures, admit to
being baffled by their behavior, which defies the norm in animals and
insects.
The male Zeus bug is half the size of the female and hitches a piggy
back ride on the female which also feeds him.
"The male can ride the female, feeding and mating for up to a week,"
said Elgar, who reported his findings in the science journal Nature.
Why the female puts up with feeding and carrying the male around is a
mystery but Elgar and his colleagues suspect it is less tiring to put
up with one male partner than several.
"A constant stream of suitors wanting to participate in a polygamous
free-for-all could possibly lead to greater harassment, leading to the
female expending more energy and placing herself at greater risk of
harm than if she doted on just one male," Elgar said in a statement.
The male Zeus bug simply can't lose. He not only gets a free ride but
is assured that his sperm, and not his rival's, is used to create the
next generation.
cheers
richard
Aussie Bug Got It Right!
LONDON (Reuters) - As life goes, it doesn't get much better than for
male Zeus bugs.
The tiny water bugs that are common along Australia's east coast have
an easy life. Their female partners provide free food, transport and
unlimited sex whenever they want it.
"All the advantages in this relationship seem to fall to the male with
no obvious advantage for the female, yet the female Zeus bug seems a
willing partner in this one-sided affair," Dr Mark Elgar, of the
University of Melbourne in Australia, said on Wednesday.
Elgar and his colleagues, who studied the unusual creatures, admit to
being baffled by their behavior, which defies the norm in animals and
insects.
The male Zeus bug is half the size of the female and hitches a piggy
back ride on the female which also feeds him.
"The male can ride the female, feeding and mating for up to a week,"
said Elgar, who reported his findings in the science journal Nature.
Why the female puts up with feeding and carrying the male around is a
mystery but Elgar and his colleagues suspect it is less tiring to put
up with one male partner than several.
"A constant stream of suitors wanting to participate in a polygamous
free-for-all could possibly lead to greater harassment, leading to the
female expending more energy and placing herself at greater risk of
harm than if she doted on just one male," Elgar said in a statement.
The male Zeus bug simply can't lose. He not only gets a free ride but
is assured that his sperm, and not his rival's, is used to create the
next generation.
cheers
richard
A Pom refugees idea of Australia no doubt?