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Monday, August 29, 2011

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Giant claw helps fiddler crabs stay cool in more ways than one

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 06:07 PM PDT

A male fiddler crab's oversized claw not only looks cool to the ladies, but new research suggests it literally helps crabs to stay cool. Researchers placed crabs under a hot light and took their temperatures. They found that the temperatures of crabs missing their large claw rose faster and reached a higher maximum than intact crabs.

Geometry of sex: How body size could lead to new species

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 06:06 PM PDT

Different species of scincid lizards, commonly known as skinks, rarely interbreed, but it's not for lack of trying. According to new research, different species of skinks in western North America will often try to mate with each other when given the opportunity, but mechanical difficulties caused by differing body sizes can cause these encounters to fail.

Chickens eject sperm from males they don't fancy

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 06:05 PM PDT

New research finds that even though hens aren't terribly picky about their mates, they are picky about whose sperm makes it to the egg. Female domestic chickens generally mate with multiple males and are known to sometimes eject sperm following mating encounters. It was unclear, however, whether the sperm ejection was a consequence of receiving a large amount of ejaculate, or because hens are actively trying to rid themselves of undesirable sperm.

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