Posted on 12/23/2009 7:30:06 AM PST by raybbr
Lady ducks have evolved a unique way of avoiding the unwanted advances of, er, enthusiastic suitors, according to Yale scientists.
According to researchers, while male ducks have developed longer, spiraled genitalia, the females' anatomy has evolved to spiral in the opposite direction. In species where forced copulation is common ... this coevolution results from conflict between the sexes over who is going to control fertilization, said Yale researcher Patricia L.R. Brennan.
Essentially, female ducks are able to thwart "undesirable but aggressive males" and avoid becoming pregnant because the sexes have evolved mismatched equipment.
Researchers released the study this week detailing this evolutionary battle of the sexes in the current issue of journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
This latest paper builds off of a 2007 study that detailed the odd structure of ducks' sexual organs. For this study, scientists (presumably without blushing) examined the male ducks' genitalia in glass tubes meant to simulate the shape of a female's sex organ. Researchers observed that the ducks' incompatible parts prevented pregnancy in the females.
"Ducks are providing us with an incredible opportunity to understand the evolutionary consequences of conflict, said Brennan.
I always thought the plural was penii....
I wonder how much the taxpayer paid for this research?
Hopefully this will lead to some consensus on the subject and eventually a new UN protocol we can all abide by.
Righty tighty, lefty loosy.
based on this quote “while male ducks have developed longer, spiraled genitalia, the females’ anatomy has evolved to spiral in the opposite direction. “ ... the ‘scientists’ MUST have longitudinal, multi-generational data on the length and twist of various avian genitalia.
O M G
So this is really what it means to be screwed, huh. I want to know why there are gay ducks now. Stupid mallards.
This goes to show that you never know what you are going to read on FR!!
I suspect that they found out that the male fools around with the females “quack”.
Ok, now I really want to know why there aren’t more lesbian ducks! That’s gross!!
Who wants to have sex with a woman who doesn’t shave her underarms or legs or take baths?
I find it amusing that the post immediately preceding this one about spiraled genitalia is:
Screw Job. The New Republic Says Obama is the fall guy for the high jobless rate.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413746/posts
righty tighty....lefty loosey????
It sounds like they’re just a bunch of quack ho’s ......
Not tonight, I have a spiral ache.
That kind of stuff happens all the time around here. :)
Actually a fella couldn’t even get the screw started! Bummer dude!
looks like there may be many cases where the threads get crossed
cross-threading ping :-)
Local lady took her duck into the vet and was in a fret that her duck had a parasitic worm stuck in it which she could not remove. The vet tech tried to pull it out and got a big quaaack. Lady said that is what happened with her repeated attempts. The vet came out to see what was going on and to assist and examine the duck. Ladies, this is a male duck.
True story, I know the (very embarassed) vet tech.
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