Sperm In Competition

[Calilasseia]

Whilst looking for something completely different, I found this scientific paper. which Devogue amongst others here will love reading.

Sperm In Competition by John Sivinski, chapter 3 of the book Sperm Competition And The Evolution Of Animal Mating Systems (edited by Robert L. Smith).

Amongst the wackier developments covered in this paper are:

[1] Sperm cells with no genetic content, that act as transport for other sperm with full haploid genetic complement;

[2] Gigantic sperm cells that are bigger than the animal producing them;

[3] Females storing sperm for later self-fertilisation, who also fertilise their own female offspring with the same sperm;

[4] Ornamented sperm cells with weird appendages, presumably intended to signal genetic fitness to the female;

[5] Yet more bizarre mating strategies for transferring sperm, such as "transvestite" Hemipterans.

Read all about it in that paper.

[jaydot]

yep. highly entertaining. thanks, cali. what i find most amazing about the whole sperm malarkey is the concentrated attention paid by the researchers finding out what happens, when and with whom. they musta had to tear apart so many critters to find out.

[Hermit]

I prefer more scientific reports.

[FBM]

Just remember that every one of them is sacred.

[cronus]

Just remember that every one of them is sacred.

One day a war will be fought and only one sperm will survive.

[rainbow]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh4LikiG ... iGBrQ#t=56[/youtube]

With special Chinese subtitles for FBM

[mistermack]

I recently had some of my sperm frozen.

I must throw out those jeans with the hole in the crotch. Or at least, not wear them while riding the motorbike.