Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
About the new frogs
I may be a thief, but I’m not a dick. UC Berkeley News credits this great photo to Prof. Miguel Vences. It was used to illustrate their story, “Clutch piracy revealed as novel mating strategy in European Common Frog,” which is every bit as captivating as it sounds. Don’t believe me? Snip:
In high-altitude ponds in the Pyrenees, on the border between Spain and France, so many males are vying for fatherhood that they pirate the egg clutches after they’re laid. Grasping them as they would a female, they release sperm in the floating clutches, often successfully fertilizing the eggs left unfertilized after the initial encounter. In one pond studied, 84 percent of all clutches had been fertilized by more than one male.
Ejaculating right on top of a clutch of eggs. It doesn’t get much more Darwinian than that.
I’d like to change the blog’s subtitle, too*, but I’m feeling post-fast-food queasy and can’t figure out which template to modify. Maybe tomorrow.
D.
*For example, I could paraphrase Bette Davis: “Hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
This picture makes me hot. I must be sick. Where is the husband?
I’m lovin’ it, Walnuts (and please, give my warm regards to Balls). Just a quick note to let you know that you are a featured link for my “Venusday Love” post, and that you might just enjoy a couple of the other links. Have a great day! *Muuaaaaah*!!