If you are interested in the pros and cons of cannibalism in praying mantises, you should check out the latest Carl's post and article on the topic.
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As always, animal porn is under the fold:
You have probably heard that a female praying mantis eats her mate's head during the mating process. You may imagine the process to go something like this:
Actually, there are many species of praying mantises and in most of them sexual cannibalism is quite…
As always, animal porn is under the fold (first posted here):
You have probably heard that a female praying mantis eats her mate's head during the mating process. You may imagine the process to go something like this:
Actually, there are many species of praying mantises and in most of them sexual…
This female praying mantis is finishing up the last tasty bits of the male that just mated with her. In the lead article in tomorrow's science section of the New York Times, I talk to scientists who study females of some species that sometimes devour their mates. Sexual cannibalism is not common,…
Kevin at No Se Nada has a post up about Nobel laureate Carl Wieman leaving Colorado, and how it relates to the role of college athletics at an educational institution. (Check his comments for a special bonus Carl Wieman anecdote.)
Probably coincidentally, Timothy Burke at Swarthmore also has a post…
I'm not nearly as worried about getting my head bitten off by a predatory female as the editors of the New York Times seem to be.
The science in Carl's Times article was interesting from the perspective of evolutionary biology and to this lay reader the evidence seemed persuasive that Gould overstated his case. Still, I'm not too happy with the sensationalistic way the Times played it. As I noted in the post below, this kind of "nature red in tooth and claw" journalism has a history -- and consequences.
And what do you think about the photos, Bora? Don't mantids have blood? Lovely pictures, but that's a pretty spotless white seamless background...
Hyper-castrating female insects: New York Times, what's your problem? You're creeping me out. Why?