sea-nerd-adventures:skunkbear:1. Slimy SweetheartsHermaphroditic leopard slugs dangle from strings o
sea-nerd-adventures:skunkbear:1. Slimy SweetheartsHermaphroditic leopard slugs dangle from strings of mucus, extendtheir slimy, blue penises from their foreheads, and twist them together in themoonlight to fertilize each other’s eggs. (Image Credit: Unireality/BBC Earth)2. Hers and HissRed-sided garter snakes are some of the world’s snuggliest beings.Each spring, thousands upon thousands of garter snakes emerge from undergroundcaves and crevices in Manitoba to look for a mate. Females are engulfed by awriggling mass of amorous males.(Image Credit: National Geographic)3. A Small Token Of His AffectionPacks of honeybees swarm their queen in mid-air. When a lucky suitorfinds his mark, he instantly ejaculates, literally causing his tiny bee gonadsto explode. The queen buzzes away from her (now deceased) mate, carrying aparting gift – the dead male’s penis. It stays inside her, barring other would-be fathers. (Image Credit: The Guardian/Eureka Entertainment)4. From The Bottom Of My … BottomTo communicate he’s looking for love, a male hippo urinates anddefecates at the same time while aggressively whipping his tail around to spreadthe scent. A reciprocating female will even respond with some poo wafting ofher own.(Image Credit: Earth Touch)5. Birdsof ParamourMother Nature isn’t all excrement sprinklers and exploding gonads– birds of paradise impress their mates with the power of dance. The maleparotia expands his plumage into a tutu-like arrangement offeathers and performs, hoping the chicks will dig it. (Image Credit: BBC Earth)6. No partner? Noproblem. The aphid is living proof. Female aphids can have babies withoutthe help of a male, just by cloning their genes and giving birth to exactminiature copies of themselves. (Image Credit: BBC Worldwide)Text by Jessica Boddy, GIFs by Ryan EskalisMuch crazy, very romance, wowNature’s -- source link