LOVE HURTS

Slicing, biting, slashing, cannibalising... these are not words we would naturally associate with romance. But there is beauty and splendour to be seen in the shadier side of animal mating

- JULES HOWARD

IT'S NOT CRICKET
SAGEBRUSH CRICKET

For sagebrush crickets, sex is all about give and take. The male (right) takes his time during mating, ensuring that as much of his sperm can be transferred as possible. But he must give something of himself to do so: his wings.

Not only does the female sagebrush cricket devour the male's wings during mating, but she also drinks the blood-like fluid that leaks from his wounds. Her hunger is such that the male's body weight can fall by 10% during this arrangement. And yet, the male has more gifts up his sleeve. His sperm is wrapped up in a gooey casing that the female can, if she requires, snack upon.

The curious mating habits of sagebrush crickets are one of many spectacular arrangements that have evolved between the sexes. Together, these tactics and strategies are helping zoologists explore the economics of sexual reproduction in animals, occasionally reframing our understanding of how evolution works.

WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES?
RED-SIDED GARTER SNAKE

Snakes have two penises rather than just the one. Known as hemipenes, these organs allow male snakes to copulate with females from a variety of directions. This is especially helpful to red-sided garter snakes that, during mating time, form chaotic 'mating balls' in which males can outnumber females by 100 to one. This situation occurs because the male snakes wake from their winter sleep before females, which temporarily unbalances the sex ratio.

To increase the odds of mating success, hemipenes in many reptile species have evolved complex spines that lock into place during copulation.

In red-sided garter snakes, the hemipenes have a large spine that inserts into the female during mating.