Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation

by Olivia Judson

  I Like ’Em Headless in Lisbon

  For the thrashings of the headless male mantis, see Roeder (1935); for grandmother’s footsteps, see Roeder (1935) and Lawrence (1992). For a long (but by no means exhaustive) list of man-eating females, see Elgar (1992). For the gory practices of the midges, see Downes (1978). For the “ate my lover by mistake” hypothesis, see Elgar (1992); for the “only in captivity” hypothesis, see Edmunds (1988); for a list of species observed in and out of the laboratory, see Elgar (1992). For a comparison of the European praying mantis in the wild and in the laboratory, see Lawrence (1992). For spiders that lure males to their doom, see Robinson and Robinson (1980), pages 138–41, and Jackson and Pollard (1997). For female garden spiders prospering as a result of cannibalism, see Elgar and Nash (1988). The notion that cannibalism by females will lead to the evolution of male escape artists is, as far as I know, original to Dr. Tatiana. For spurs in Tetragnatha extensa and bondage in Xysticus cristatus, see Bristowe (1958), pages 252–56 (for spurs) and pages 115 and 143–45 (for bondage). For the horn of Argyrodes zonatus, see Legendre and Lopez (1974) and Lopez and Emerit (1979). For another example of males copulating when they lose their heads, see McDaniel and Horsfall (1957). For erections in throttled human males, see Goldstein (2000).

  Wretched in the Wilderness

  For escape behavior in Paruroctonus mesaensis, see Polis and Farley (1979); in Lycosa rabida, see Rovner (1972). For gastronomic burials in Argiope aemula, see Sasaki and Iwahashi (1995); in the bristle worm, see Reish (1957). For a general discussion of what Dr. Tatiana calls platonic cannibalism, see Elgar and Crespi (1992); for intrauterine cannibalism in the sand shark, see Springer (1948). For cannibalism in amoebae, see Waddell (1992); in the paddle crab Ovalipes catharus, see Haddon (1995). The shark poem is original to Dr. Tatiana. Sexual cannibalism in hermaphrodites is reported sporadically but has received little attention. For evidence of cannibalism in Hermissenda crassicornis, however, see the note on food on page 212 of Bürgin (1965); for their mating technique, see Rutowski (1983). For circumstances where male suicide by cannibalism is expected to evolve, see Buskirk et al. (1984); for a general description of mating in the Australian redback spider, see Forster (1992); for evidence that being eaten is good for males, see Andrade (1996); for evidence that females eat only when hungry, see Andrade (1998).

  Chapter 7: Crimes of Passion

  Solitary bee Anthophora plumipes

  Mountain sheep Ovis canadensis

  Domestic sheep Ovis aries

  Giant petrel Macronectes halli

  Quacking frog Crinia georgiana

  Wood frog Rana sylvatica

  Yellow dung fly Scatophaga stercoraria

  Northern elephant seal Mirounga angustirostris

  Hawaiian monk seal Monachus schauinslandi

  Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier

  Water strider Gerris odontogaster

  Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

  Pigeon Columbia livia

  Seaweed fly Gluma musgravei

  Crabeater seal Lobodon carcinophagus

  Bison Bison bison

  Dugong Dugong dugon

  Pygmy salamander Desmognathus wrighti

  Southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina

  Mink Mustela vison

  Sea otter Enhydra lutris

  Blue shark Prionace glauca

  Round stingray Urolophus halleri

  Sagebrush cricket Cyphoderris strepitans

  Little brown bat Myotis lucifugus

  White-fronted bee-eater Merops bullockoides

  Lesser snow goose Chen caerulescens caerulescens

  American lobster Homarus americanus

  A Girl’s Never Alone in Oxford

  For male stuffing in Polistes dominulus, see Starks and Poe (1997). For general biology of the solitary bee Anthophora plumipes, see Stone (1995) and Stone et al. (1995). For harassment in Anthophora plumipes, see Stone (1995); in mountain sheep, see Geist (1971), page 210. For battery in domestic sheep on the Île Longue, see Réale et al. (1996); for drowning in the quacking frog, see Byrne and Roberts (1999); for drowning in wood frogs, see Banta (1914) and Howard (1980). For dismemberment in solitary bees, see Alcock (1996); in solitary wasps, see Evans et al. (1986). For drowning and dismemberment in yellow dung flies, see Borgia (1981). For battery in northern elephant seals, see Le Boeuf and Mesnick (1990); in the Hawaiian monk seal, see Hiruki, Stirling, et al. (1993) and Hiruki, Gilmartin, et al. (1993). For males having their libidos suppressed, see Nowak (1999), page 869. For bodyguards in yellow dung flies, see Borgia (1980) and Borgia (1981); in northern elephant seals, see Mesnick and Le Boeuf (1991); in water striders, see Arnqvist (1992); in pheasants, see Ridley and Hill (1987); in pigeons, see Lovell-Mansbridge and Birkhead (1998). For male avoidance in Anthophora plumipes, see Stone (1995). For revenge in Philanthus basilaris, see O’Neill and Evans (1981).

  Mr. Nice Is Mr. Frustrated in Mallacoota Bay

  For mating in seaweed flies, see Dunn et al. (2001). For violence, including scarring, in crabeater seals, see Siniff et al. (1979). For violence in bison, see Lott (1981); in dugongs, see Anderson and Birtles (1978). For biting in the pygmy salamander, see Houck (1980) and a personal communication from Nancy Reagan cited in Promislow (1987). For accidents in southern elephant seals, see Carrick and Ingham (1962); in mink, see Enders (1952); in sea otters, see Foott (1970), Riedman and Estes (1990), and Staedler and Riedman (1993). For the suggestion that violence can be beneficial to males by deterring females from remating, see Johnstone and Keller (2000). For a general discussion of reproduction in sharks, see Wourms (1977); for biting in blue sharks, see Stevens (1974) and Pratt (1979); for thick skin in blue sharks, see Pratt (1979); for thick skin and biting in round stingrays, see Nordell (1994); for biting in Falcatus falcatus, see Lund (1990). For penis fencing in Pseudoceros bifurcus, see Michiels and Newman (1998).

  Don’t Know Much about Anatomy in the Rockies

  For rape in sagebrush crickets, see Sakaluk et al. (1995); for female feeding behavior, see Morris et al. (1989), Eggert and Sakaluk (1994), and Sakaluk et al. (1995). With respect to rape, scorpionfly species have more or less the same general biology; see Thornhill (1980). My account, however, particularly concerns Panorpa latipennis. For the use of the notal organ during rape in this species, see Thornhill (1980); for the burgling of spiderwebs, see Thornhill (1975). For reports of rape in lobsters, see Waddy and Aiken (1991); in fish, see Farr (1980); in turtles, see Berry and Shine (1980); in bats, see Pearson et al. (1952) and Thomas et al. (1979); in birds, see McKinney et al. (1983); in primates, see Mitani (1985) and Smuts and Smuts (1993). For rape in little brown bats, see Thomas et al. (1979). For rape in white-fronted bee-eaters, see Emlen and Wrege (1986); for their general biology, see Emlen and Wrege (1994). For rape in lesser snow geese, see Mineau and Cooke (1979) and Dunn et al. (1999). For rates of conception during rape in white-fronted bee-eaters, see Emlen and Wrege (1986) and Wrege and Emlen (1987); in lesser snow geese, see Dunn et al. (1999). For escape behavior in American lobsters, see Waddy and Aiken (1991); in scorpionflies, see Thornhill (1980); in white-fronted bee-eaters, see Emlen and Wrege (1986). For an example of male birds withdrawing help if they suspect infidelity, see Dixon et al. (1994); for female scorpionflies suffering lower predation rates, see Thornhill (1980). For evidence that females benefit from choosing their own mate, see Partridge (1980) (fruit flies) and Simmons (1987) (field crickets).

  Chapter 8: Hell Hath No Fury

  Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

  Seed-harvester ant Veromessor pergandei

  Smooth newt Triturus vulgaris vulgaris

  Darwin frog Rhinoderma darwinii

  Japanese cardinal fish Apogon doederleini

  Burying beetle Nicrophorus defodiens

  House sparrow Passer domesticus

  Great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus

  Pied flycatcher Facedula hypoleuca

  Starling Sturnus vulgaris

  Northern ha
rrier Circus cyaneus

  Blue tit Parus caeruleus

  Bring Back the Ladies in Norfolk

  For lethal fighting among female thrips, see Crespi (1992); in seed-harvester ants, see Rissing and Pollock (1987). For shortages of males in the smooth newt, see Waights (1996); for sperm limitation in the smooth newt, see Verrell (1986) and Verrell et al. (1986). For female quarreling in katydids, see Gwynne and Simmons (1990). For Wolbachia and severe shortages of males in Acraea encedon, see Jiggins et al. (1999). For female-female interference in the Majorcan midwife toad, see Bush and Bell (1997). For the biology of the Darwin frog, see Cei (1962), pages 110–15, and Goicoechea et al. (1986). For brood cannibalism in the Japanese cardinal fish, see Okuda and Yanagisawa (1996). For fighting between female moorhens, see Petrie (1983).

  I Hate the Trouble and Strife in Ontario

  For general biology of burying beetles, see Milne and Milne (1976); for conflict between males and females in Nacrophorus defodiens, see Eggert and Sakaluk (1995). For evidence that female burying beetles sharing a carcass have fewer offspring each, see Trumbo and Fiore (1994); I learned of murderous behavior in Nicrophorus defodiens in an e-mail from Anne-Katrin Eggert. For egg smashing in the house sparrow, see Veiga (1990); in the great reed warbler, see Hansson et al. (1997). For evidence that female birds often lose male help if their mate takes an additional partner, see Webster (1991) and Slagsvold and Lifjeld (1994); for a general account of female hostility toward mistresses (in birds), see Slagsvold and Lifjeld (1994). For scolding in pied flycatchers, see Slagsvold et al. (1992). For lovey-dovey starlings, see Eens and Pinxten (1996). For aggression in northern harriers, see Simmons (1988); in blue tits, see Kempenaers (1995). For aggression (including singing, and filling up extra nest holes) in starlings, see Eens and Pinxten (1996) and Sandell and Smith (1997). For male starlings chasing their partner away, see Eens and Pinxten (1996) and Pinxten and Eens (1990). For general biology of Lamprologus ocellatus, see Brandtmann et al. (1999). For hermit crabs avoiding shells with holes in them, see Pechenik and Lewis (2000). For hydroids preferring to settle on shells occupied by hermit crabs, see Campbell (1974); for hermit crabs gaining protection from hydroids, see Brooks and Gwaltney (1993); for hermit crabs harvesting anemones, see Branch and Branch (1998), caption to plate 67; for hydroids (and anemones) gaining protection from hermit crabs, see Brooks and Gwaltney (1993). For fish in Lake Tanganyika that use secondhand snail shells, and for size differences and shell stealing in Lamprologus callipterus, see Sato (1994). For fighting between female Lamprologus ocellatus, see Walter and Trillmich (1994) and Brandtmann et al. (1999); for male intervention, see Walter and Trillmich (1994).

  Chapter 9: Aphrodisiacs, Love Potions, and Other Recipes from Cupid’s Kitchen

  Fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

  Australian field cricket Teleogryllus commodus

  Housefly Musca domestica

  Red deer Cervus elaphus

  Rock-boring sea urchin Echinometra mathaei

  Oblong sea urchin Echinometra oblonga

  Manatee Trichechus manatus

  Bonobo Pan paniscus

  Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae

  Bottle-nosed dolphin Tursiops truncatus

  Amazon River dolphin Inia geoffrensis

  Stump-tailed macaque Macaca arctoides

  Baboon Papio anubis

  Razorbill Alca torda

  Japanese macaque Macaca fuscata

  Rhesus monkey Macaca mulatta

  Afraid I’ve Been Bewitched in Santa Barbara

  For a general overview of the effects of seminal fluid, see Mann and Lutwak-Mann (1981) and Chen (1984); for the stimulation of egg production in the Australian field cricket, see Loher et al. (1981); for the composition of the seminal fluid of the housefly, see Andrés and Arnqvist (2001); for its effects, see Riemann et al. (1967). For the composition of fruit fly seminal fluid, see Chapman (2001); for male fruit flies using chemicals to disable the sperm of other males, see Harshman and Prout (1994); for male fruit flies protecting their own sperm, see Chapman (2001); for antiaphrodisiacs in fruit flies, see Mane et al. (1983); for the effects of sex peptide, see Wolfner (1997). For Helix aspersa and love darts, see Koene and Chase (1998) and Rogers and Chase (2001). For the aphrodisiac effects of roaring in red deer, see McComb (1987); for conception date and calf survival, see McComb (1987) and Clutton-Brock et al. (1988). For female houseflies resisting local males but not strangers, see Andrés and Arnqvist (2001). For the effects of forced monogamy on fruit flies, see Pitnick et al. (2001). Information on shrimp that live in glass sponges is sparse, but see Berggren (1993) and Saito and Konishi (1999). For the evolution of supermales in fruit flies, see Rice (1996).

  Desperate to Be à la Mode in Hawaii

  For bindin-egg affinities in the rock-boring sea urchin, see Palumbi (1999); for genetic differences between sea urchin species, see Palumbi and Metz (1991). For rapid evolution of reproductive proteins in sea urchins, see Metz and Palumbi (1996); in mammals, see Swanson et al. (2001); in fruit flies, see Aguade (1999); in abalone, see Metz et al. (1998). For the notion that sexual conflict can drive the origin of species, see Rice and Hostert (1993); for speciation and rapid evolution of reproductive proteins, see Swanson and Vacquier (2002); for the association between the formation of new insect species and female remating rate, see Arnqvist et al. (2000). For the evolution of the abalone VERL and lysin, see Metz et al. (1998), Swanson and Vacquier (1997), Swanson and Vacquier (1998), Yang et al. (2000), and Swanson et al. (2001). For the evolution of genes containing short repeated units and their role in human disease, see Mitas (1997); for concerted evolution—the evolution of genes containing large repeated units—see Elder and Turner (1995).

  Don’t Want No Homo in the Florida Keys

  For homosexual behavior in bonobos, see de Waal (1989), pages 201-04; in penguins, see Davis et al. (1998); in bottle-nosed dolphins, see McBride and Hebb (1948), Brown and Norris (1956), and Tavolga (1966); in Amazon River dolphins, see Pilleri et al. (1980), Sylvestre (1985), and Best and da Silva (1989); in manatees, see Hartman (1979). For a general source on homosexual behavior in animals, see the appendix to Bagemihl (1999). For orgasms in homosexual interactions in female stump-tailed macaques, see Goldfoot et al. (1980); in heterosexual interactions, see Slob et al. (1986). For homosexual behavior and cooperation in baboons, see Smuts and Watanabe (1990). For homosexual mounting in razorbills, see Wagner (1996). For homosexual octopuses, see Lutz and Voight (1994); for lesbian gulls, see Kovacs and Ryder (1983), Hunt et al. (1984), and Conover and Hunt (1984). For reports of genes involved in human homosexuality, see Hamer et al. (1993) and Hu et al. (1995); for a failure to replicate these results, see Rice et al. (1999). For homosexual behavior in fruit flies, see Hall (1994), Ryner et al. (1996), and Yamamoto et al. (1997). For flies that won’t have sex in the dark, see Sharma (1977). For competition for female Japanese macaques, see Vasey (1998); for anal sex in rhesus monkeys, see Erwin and Maple (1976). For a discussion of the difficulties of measuring the prevalence of homosexuality in humans, see LeVay (1996), chapter 2. For general discussions of the evolution of kin-directed altruism, see Hamilton (1996); for the notion that this could explain homosexuality see Wilson (1975), pages 343–44. For social structure and reproductive suppression in termites, see Wilson (1971), chapter 10; in wolves, see Nowak (1999), page 667; in naked mole rats, see Faulkes and Bennett (2001); in shrimp, see Duffy (1996). I believe that Hutchinson (1959) was the first to posit heterozygote advantage as a possible explanation for homosexuality. For heterozygote advantage and resistance to malaria, see any genetics textbook. For a theoretical treatment of genes beneficial in one sex spreading despite being detrimental in the other, see Rice (1984); for evidence, see Chippindale et al. (2001). The notion that this could account for the evolution of homosexuality is, as far as I know, original to Dr. Tatiana.

  Chapter 10: Till Death Do Us Part

  Black vulture Coragyps atratus

  Gibbon Hylobate
s lar

  Jackdaw Corvus monedula

  Chinstrap penguin Pygoscelis antartica

  Long-eared owl Asio otus

  Kirk’s dik-dik Madoqua kirkii

  California mouse Peromyscus californicus

  Termite Reticulitermes flavipes

  African hawk eagle Hieraaetus spilogaster

  Fat-tailed dwarf lemur Cheirogaleus medius

  Djungarian hamster Phodopus campbelli

  Siberian hamster Phodopus sungorus

  Banded shrimp Stenopus hispidus

  Wreathed hornbill Aceros undulatus

  Bewick’s swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii

  Prairie vole Microtus ochrogaster

  Montane vole Microtus montanus

  Indian crested porcupine Hystrix indica

  Southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina

  Gorilla Gorilla gorilla

  Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes

  Crusading for Family Values in Louisiana

  For early beliefs about monogamy in birds, see Lack (1968), especially chapter 14. For adultery in gibbons, see Sommer and Reichard (2000). For fidelity in the black vulture, see Decker et al. (1993); in the jackdaw, see Henderson et al. (2000); in the chinstrap penguin, see Moreno et al. (2000); in the long-eared owl, see Marks et al. (1999); in Kirk’s dik-dik, see Brotherton et al. (1997); in the California mouse, see Ribble (1991). Termite monogamy refers to outbreeding only, see Bulmer et al. (2001). For the notion that a male should attempt a mixed strategy—helping one female rear offspring while siring, by other females, children that he will not help rear, see Trivers (1972). For the lack of paternal care in Kirk’s dik-dik, see Brotherton and Rhodes (1996). For female fat-tailed dwarf lemurs’ inability to raise young as single mothers, see Fietz (1999); for their infidelity, see Fietz et al. (2000). For a discussion of the relationship between biparental care and monogamy see Komers and Brotherton (1997). For the importance of spatial distribution of females in the evolution of monogamy, see Komers and Brotherton (1997). For danger maintaining monogamy in Lysiosquilla sulcata, see Caldwell (1991). For general biology of the Djungarian hamster, see Nowak (1999), page 1419; for the male acting as midwife, see Jones and Wynne-Edwards (2000); for contrasts with the Siberian hamster, see Wynne-Edwards (1995). For pair formation and violence in banded shrimp, see Johnson (1969); for feeding and molting, see Hoover (1998), page 219. For breeding biology of hornbills, see Kemp (1995), chapter 5. For breeding biology of jackdaws, see Henderson et al. (2000); for pair duration and reproductive success in Bewick’s swans, see Rees et al. (1996). For prudish behavior of black vultures, see Decker et al. (1993).