Is sex worth it?

[lizbids]

hahaha, those are GREAT photos! Loved the title, too. You're lucky she didn't set her eyes on the peeping Tom with the camera next!

[Rumblefish]

Those are awesome photos...and here I though only national geographic and discovery could get stuff like that!

Does anyone know why the female mantis eats her one-time lover?? (poor guy.... ) Are all male preying mantis (what the devil is the plural of mantis?) that bad in the sack she becomes so enraged and eats him? there must be more to it.....or is there?

[Aquila]

The quick "I took bio once and..." answer to Rumblefish's question.

From the female's POV: she's got what she wants from the male (sperm), and by eating him, she gets good nutrition, too. So eating him makes her reproductive success likely to be a bit better.

From the males POV: he's got his sperm into the female. This "packet" of sperm is pretty much his reproductive future. IF he gets away, he MAY be able to breed again. Or not. If he gets eaten, then he's pretty much giving his all for the improved success of the sperm/egg combo he's contributed to.

In Darwinian terms, it's not really about surviving yourself, it's about trying to produce the next generation and the next and the next. If the male can improve the likely success of his offspring through better nutrition, then his genes are likely to survive. It's only worth doing 1) if the mantis is going to produce lots of potential offspring with a greater likelihood of reproductive success because of his nutritional donation, 2) if there's not great likelihood that he can mate again to produce double the number of potential offspring, 3) if the male mantis isn't going to contribute in some other way to the likely success of the offspring.

So, human males don't have much to worry about! We humans don't produce lots of spawn at one mating (a single mating has a low likelihood of producing even 1 offspring--despite every TV show about a teen girl who has sex once!), most mate more than once, and in humans, the likelihood of offspring success is greater if more adults are contributing to its care.

[Happy_Wheels!]

Is sex worth it?

Hell yes!

Luv,
Happy_Wheels!

[Zen]

Is sex worth it?

Hell yes!

Luv,
Happy_Wheels!

Must be a guy.

From a human perspective, the prospect of sex makes the male do stupid things. No further details necessary.

[Starfish]

the prospect of sex makes the male do stupid things. No further details necessary.

Oh, that it were only guys this principle affects...

[Starfish]

Does anyone know why the female mantis eats her one-time lover??

...why should she put up with the whole pig when all she wants is a little sausage?

OK, OK, just a joke, but one that always makes me laugh out loud.

[Zen]

...why should she put up with the whole pig when all she wants is a little sausage?

I've never heard that one before Most excellent

[Starfish]

I've never heard that one before Most excellent

Well, as the famous line goes from some movie or another (with respect to my real life attitude)..."I don't condone it, but I understand it."

[Trek420]

I've never heard that one before Most excellent

You've never heard that? Think it's the snappy come back for "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free"

This makes me appreciate the lesbi'mantisis because they'd get to do it again with the same partner.

But seriously, nice shot Wahine.