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Old Oct 19, 2006, 05:55 pm   #1 (permalink) (top)
Pooeypants
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Horniest male beetles have tiniest testicles

Quote:
Dung beetle research may be about to boost the cliché about men with flashy sports cars. According to new study, male beetles with the most dramatic and ostentatious sets of horns apparently pay for that with smaller testicles.

The research is one of the first studies to experimentally demonstrate that investing energy in one mating advantage may come at the expense of another.

Male dung beetles of the genus Onthophagus are noted for the size and diversity of their horns. In some species, these make up 40% of males’ body length. These iridescent beetles use their flashy ornaments to battle against one another and block access to tunnels where they mate with females.

The competition does not end there, however, as females often mate with more than one male. In these species, once inside the female, one male's sperm must compete with other males' sperm to fertilise eggs.

It is generally thought that the males that produce the most sperm are more likely to achieve a fertilisation so, besides the horns, testicle capacity is important in competition between males too, says Douglas Emlen, study co-author at the University of Montana in Missoula, US.
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How do you think this translates in human terms? Is there a parallel?


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