Two interesting bits on last Saturday’s (cbc’s) quirks and quarks:

First, it was Dr. Andrade discussing her recent paper titled Novel male trait prolongs survival in suicidal mating. If I understand correctly, the research is concerned with a particular species in which the female devours the male while they are copulating! So, what does the male do? abstain (hah)? — nope. Maybe develop some homesexual tendencies? — nope, not that either. What actually happened was that the male of this species has evolved in such a way that its vital organs are consumed last; that is of course to prolong survival (i.e. during copulation) before it is completely eaten. The species, by the way, are Red Back Spiders; and also, by the way, both sexes of this species have two sex organs, and therefore have to copulate twice to increase the chance of fertilization.

Then, there is this other species, whose male would sneak upon, and (ehem) hump any other individual of that species; male, female, young, or old; indiscriminately. Moreover, their recovery time is 18 seconds (!) and they’re ready to go again. That is what Dr. Karim Vahed had to say about the alpine bush cricket.

Now, I’m not even going to touch the jokes — make up your own. What is interesting to me, however, is that these jokes exist. The projection is almost automatic. It raises questions about how we think about the other, in terms of, or in relation to, ourselves. Not only other species, but other individuals belonging to the same species. Also raises questions about our imagination (which is said to distinguish us from other species).

(I am satisfied with only raising the questions for the time being, maybe I’ll formulate them and have more to say, later.)