Posted on 04/02/2011 3:20:09 PM PDT by Cardhu
Although emasculated spiders can no longer be lovers, they are better fighters, a new study says.
In many spider species, males have sex using two appendages known as pedipalps. But males will often lose one or both pedipalps during the actbehavior that might seem like a bad idea evolutionarily, since it renders the male sterile.
(Related pictures: "'Torture' Phalluses Give Beetles Breeding Boost.")
Scientists have proposed that such genital amputation plugs up a female to help ensure that other males don't successfully impregnate her.
To learn more about why male spiders become eunuchs, scientists examined the mating behaviors of the Southeast Asian orb web spider, Nephilengys malabarensis. (Related: "Largest Web-Spinning Spider Found.")
The scientists found that amputated genitals effectively plugged up a female spider 75 percent of the time. In addition, the team saw that males with missing genitals were far more aggressive and active in guarding females.
During contests between males, full eunuchs that had lost both pedipalps were better fighters than half eunuchs and intact males, the study showed. Overall, the eunuchs were more than three times more likely to attack, chase, and defeat any rivals.
The scientists think that, once a male has lost his means of procreating, he protects his investment further by becoming a superwarrior.
"We think, but are not sure, that the changes in behavior may be due to changing hormone levels" triggered by losing the pedipalps, said study co-author Matja Kuntner, a spider expert at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana.
"But the ultimate reason for this behavior is that eunuchs, with no reproductive future, have nothing to lose and risk more in contests."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalgeographic.com ...
GUILTY!!!!!!
“This is knowledge that jihadis everywhere must have.”
Well, maybe not if they are in it for the 72 virgins
in the afterlife..........
No.The Janiassarie Corps was composed of Christian youth from the Balkans taken by the Ottomans as a form of tax. They were raised as wards of the Sultan and trained to be professional soldiers.
Eunuchs were used by the Ottomans in political and governing roles by the Ottomans, and were often a power behind the throne kind of deal, like their counterparts in the various chinese dynasties. But they were not part of the Janissarie Corps. which eventually, like the Praetorian Guard and the Roman Legions, got into the business of choosing [or trying to] new Sultans.
The principle is simple: You cut my nuts off, I will not rest until I kill you and all your associates.
So...just why isn’t nobama a better “fighter”?
- A scientist conducting an experiment with a frog yelled "Jump", and the frog jumped 20 feet.
- He sedated the frog and removed one leg. He hollered "Jump", and the frog jumped 15 feet.
- After removing the second leg, the frog could jump 10 feet, and jumped 5 feet with 3 legs removed.
- The fourth leg was then removed, and the frog did not jump, no matter how loud the scientist shouted. The scientist concluded "With no legs the frog cannot hear".
Does the preferred method of extraction involve
a corral and a squeeze chute or open range roping?
Could one of our resident aracno cowboys please
enlighten us? Also, is branding done at the same
time?
Don’t ask, don’t tell.
I hate Spidwes and snakes. I didn’t need to know all this. But like you said, it doesn’t seem to work that way on Pubbies.
castrated = a whole new level of “pissed off”
Well, I know that if you *tried* to castrate my husband and son-in-law, they'd become more aggressive...
We could begin with Barney Frank to see if it has the same effect on politicians.
We do know that an eunuch has on average, a 13 year longer life compared to a normal man.
Better lovers? Heck, many species get eaten alive during "the act." Lovers? More like the Thrall on Star Trek, they're compelled to do it and cannot do otherwise. Wouldn't you be a little cranky if your junk got ripped out the first time you had sex? Hey, if "scientists" get to engage in anthropomorphism, I can too, lol.
At least these poor little buggers get a second go at it, and are even crankier still when they get turned all Ken-Doll by their "lover." Surprise! Not. Sheesh.
yeah, they don't have wives....what's so hard to understand about that??
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