Gay insect
Some of you might find it surprising to hear that a lot of animals engage in homosexual behavior. Close to 1,500 species, ranging from primates to gut worms, have been observed engaging in such behavior and this is well documented for 500 of them. No one comes close to insects and spiders, though, which own a significantly larger homosexual/hetero ratio out of all animals. Biologists and animal behaviorists have attempted to explain this proposing various theories, but lack of evidence has failed to substantiate any of these. A recent study initiate insect homosexuality, though still the fallout of an adaptive trait, can be explained and supported though a very simple explanation: it’s just a case of mistaken identity.
Deep in the Amazon jungle, a tarantula gently oversees from the comfort and safety of a Brazilian nut wood. When suddenly…
“Hey! Execute you mind?”
“What? You’re not into me?”
“I’m a DUDE, man!”
“Sorry, sorry… I consideration you were a female, bro. Ishhh…. you know these things happen often”
Now, some of you might find this kind of explanation unrealistic, but it does make se
Why Insects Have Male lover Sex
Insect sex may seem fairly simple: fluttering dances, clasping abdomens, a rapid mount on a forest floor. But a new review of homosexual insect encounters suggests the acts may not be that straightforward for the individuals involved.
Researchers have widely examined homosexual habit in mammals and birds, but acquire addressed it less frequently in insects and spiders. To assess the range of evolutionary explanations for same-sex intercourse in the invertebrate world, a team of biologists from Tel Aviv University in Israel and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland examined roughly 100 existing studies on the topic and compiled the first comprehensive review of homosexuality in invertebrates. The review was published earlier this month in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
The team focused on male-male interactions to simplify the analysis, and found that most of these encounters occurred as accidents. Whereas larger animals have developed more complicated homosexual motivations — like maintaining alliances, which has been found in certain primate and seagull species — insects seem to mistakenly part
The Buzz on Cicadas: Sexuality and Sensationalism
Every several years, something memorable happens in parts of the United States: billions of cicadas emerge from the earth in a natural spectacle, bringing the sky to life with hordes of buzzing, breeding insects. This year, however, the massive emergence of all seven distinct broods—something not seen since 1803—is entity overshadowed by headlines that feel ripped from a science fiction novel. Stories of ‘gay zombie cicadas’ overtaken by a ‘creepy sexually transmitted fungus’ have flooded our feeds, blending fact with harmful sensationalism.
In this blog, we aim to set the document straight (no pun intended). We’ll delve into the truth about cicadas infected with the fungus Massospora cicadina, explaining the science without the sci-fi. However, it’s important to not just talk about these strange biological phenomena, but also how we talk about them. Sensationalized media coverage can often distort our understanding of wildlife and inadvertently perpetuate harmful stereotypes, particularly when it borrows terminology from human social context such as the queer community.
Science, Not Sci-Fi
Periodical cicadas are incredibly uniq
ARE GAY BUGS JUST CONFUSED?
Researchers claim that homosexuality in insects and spiders is most likely usually a case of “mistaken identity”.
Many species of insects and spiders engage in gay behaviour, like courting, mounting, and trying to mate with members of the same sex.
But it is unclear what role evolution plays in this curious situation. Like heterosexual behaviour, it takes time and energy and can be dangerous – and it lacks the potential payoff of procreation.
Now Dr. Inon Scharf of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Zoology and Dr. Oliver Martin of ETH Zurich possess claimed that homosexual behaviour in bugs is probably accidental, in most cases.
In the rush to manufacture offspring, bugs do not take much time to inspect their mates’ gender, potentially leading to gay mating, say the scientists.
“Insects and spiders mate rapid and dirty,” Dr. Scharf commented. “The cost of taking the time to identify the gender of mates or the require of hesitation appears to be greater than the cost of making some mistakes.”
In birds and mammals, homosexual behaviour has been shown to have evolutionary benefits. It pr