View allAll Photos Tagged copulating
A red-veined darter copulation wheel in the Olhão salinas. This was one of a dozen or so paired dragonflies seen that day. A week later after a storm and with cooler weather dragonflies had all but disappeared so this was their last fling.
Two Ambush bugs are copulating and simultaneously killing this bee. The female has her hypodermic beak extended and it has clearly punctured the rear leg of this bee. She is now injecting poison into the bee and quickly immobilizes him.
This is the time of year when food is scarce and normally careful pollinators spend a little too much time on each flower. Time enough for predators such as these tiny ambush bugs - to move into position and strike.
Photographed at Lo Monte Spain
To mate, the male dragonfly grasps the female's neck with his anal appendages, raises his abdomen and invites the female to bend her abdomen to join their copulating organs. Together they form a heart-shaped ''mating wheel''
The male damselfy is flying so low his legs are underwater. Not the best shot but I like that the male tapped the water during the act of copulation.
Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
The smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is a species of otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale. The species is found in most of the Indian Subcontinent and eastwards to Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq. As its name indicates, the fur of this species is smoother and shorter than that of other otters.
Characteristics
Smooth-coated otters are relatively large for otters, from 7 to 11 kilograms (15 to 24 lb) in weight and 59 to 64 centimetres (23 to 25 in) in head-body length, with a 37 to 43 centimetres (15 to 17 in) tail. They may be distinguished from other species of otter by a more rounded head and a hairless nose in the shape of a distorted diamond. The tail is flattened, in contrast to the more rounded tails of other species. The legs are short and strong, with large webbed feet bearing strong claws. As their name suggests, they have unusually short and sleek fur; this is dark to reddish brown along the back, while the underside is light brown to almost grey in color. Females have two pairs of teats.
Ecology and behavior
Smooth-coated otters are social and hunt in groups. They are mainly diurnal, and have a short lull in activity during midday.
They spend the night in dens dug in dense vegetation, under tree roots, or among boulders. They use scent to communicate both within the otter species, and with other animals. Each otter possesses a pair of scent glands at the base of the tail which are used to mark land or objects, such as rocks or vegetation, near feeding areas in a behavior called sprainting. They also communicate through vocalisations such as whistles, chirps, and wails.
Some may construct permanent holts near water, in a layout similar to that of a beaver dam, with an underwater entrance and a tunnel that leads to a nest above the water.
Fish comprise over 70% of their diet, but they also eat reptiles, frogs, insects, crustaceans, and small mammals. Especially in areas where other species of otter are also found, they prefer larger fish, typically between 5 and 30 centimetres (2.0 and 11.8 in) in length. They sometimes hunt in groups of up to eleven individuals.
In the Kuala Selangor Nature Park an otter group was observed hunting. They formed an undulating, slightly V-shaped line, pointing in the direction of movement and nearly as wide as the creek. The largest individuals occupied the middle section. In this formation they undulated wildly through the creek, causing panic‑stricken fish to jump out of the water a few metres ahead. They suddenly dived and grasped the fish with their snouts. Then they moved ashore, tossed the fish up a little on the muddy part of the bank, and swallowed it head‑first in one piece.
A group of otters can have a feeding range of 7 to 12 square kilometers. A single adult consumes about 1 kg of food per day in captivity.
Reproduction
Smooth-coated otters form small family groups of a mated pair with up to four offspring from previous seasons. Copulation occurs in water and lasts less than one minute.
So long as there is a sufficient food supply, they will breed throughout the year, but where otters are dependent on monsoons for precipitation, breeding occurs between October and February. A litter of up to five pups are born after a gestation period of 60 to 63 days. However, on 14 June 2014 a smooth coated otter called Ping at Wingham Wildlife Park in the UK gave birth to a litter of seven babies. The mothers give birth to and raise their young in a burrow near water. They may either construct such a burrow themselves, or they may take over an abandoned one. At birth, the pups are blind and helpless, but after 10 days, their eyes open, and they are weaned at about three to five months. They reach adult size at about a year of age, and sexual maturity at two or three years.
Threats
Major threats to Asian otter population are loss of wetland habitats due to construction of large-scale hydroelectric projects, reclamation of wetlands for settlements and agriculture, reduction in prey biomass, poaching and contamination of waterways by pesticides. In most Asian countries increased human population during the last century, inadequate and ineffective rural development programmes have not been able to address the problems of poverty, forcing people to be more and more dependent on natural resources. Consequently, most of the wetlands and waterways do not have adequate prey base for sustaining otter populations. Wetlands and waterways are polluted by eutrophication and accumulation of persistent pesticides such as chlorinated hydrocarbons and organophosphates through agricultural runoffs. Increased pesticide use is not only regarded as a major obstacle to the development of rice-fish culture, but also poses a danger to all predators feeding on aquatic prey in the area. In the entire south and southeast Asia there is severe conflict between otters and humans, because of poverty and recent increase in aquaculture activities leading to indiscriminate killing of otters. Many important habitats of smooth otter have been lost to development activities. In south east Asian countries, there does not seem to be any intentional otter trapping though it is prevalent in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Due to the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes during the presidency of Saddam Hussein it was feared that the Iraqi population of otters may have perished but a biodiversity site review in 2009 found tracks of an otter, suggesting that the population may have survived.
Conservation
Since 1977, Lutrogale perspicillata is listed on CITES Appendix II. It is a protected species in almost all the range countries, which prohibits its killing. But most range countries are not able to control the clandestine trade leading to extensive poaching.
The smooth-coated otter is listed as a vulnerable species. Their range and population are shrinking due to loss of wetland habitat and contamination of waterways by pesticides. Most range countries are not able to control the clandestine trade leading to extensive poaching. Smooth-coated otters are protected in India under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and are listed as endangered.
Smooth-coated otters are used for commercial fishing in southern Bangladesh. These otters are bred in captivity, trained, and used to chase fish into fishing nets. This fishing technique is currently used by about 300 fishermen, with an additional 2,000 people indirectly dependent on the technique for their livelihood.
In culture
The smooth-coated otter was featured on the BBC documentary, Planet Earth, in the episode entitled "Fresh Water" (aired in the UK on March 19, 2006 and in the US on April 15, 2007). In this episode, it is shown openly pestering an adult crocodile.
[Credit: en.wikipedia.org/]
The brute beast defecates where it stands, surrounded by its fellows, and an ape may copulate without shame in the midst of its troop. Not so human beings. Indeed shame is, we presume, a concept known only to people. It's an odd thing, when you think about it, that certain physiological functions, though they be essential to the continuance of the species or to the individual's health, go unacknowledged in polite society. To explain these things and the light they shed on the differences between humans and even their closest primate relatives, is the province of the anthropologist. Those functions associated with the voiding of the body's impurities are a particular source of potential embarrassment. I mean, nobody wants to be observed picking his nose or squatting at stool.
For this reason I have always, even in extremis, eschewed those shiny cylindrical "pay toilets" which first appeared in our streets about twenty years ago. I have heard that their doors open automatically after a certain time has elapsed to guard against the possibility of someone being locked in. That's all very well, but the implications, for any user who finds himself with a hard nut to crack, are horrifying to contemplate. Similarly, I have regarded with suspicion a type of lavatory which has appeared in recent years on our railway rolling stock. This has a curved door which is electrically operated and glides open on runners when the intending user presses a button. The entrance, when this door is fully open, is very wide, presumably for the convenience of the wheelchair-bound, and discloses the entire interior of the toilet to passengers in the vicinity. Inside there is another button that closes the door. I think a "Door Locked" sign is illuminated, but somehow one is unconvinced. This has always been my fundamental problem with electricity: its mode of operation is not visible ...in the way that you can see the action of a latch or bolt... and what I can't see I don't trust.
My suspicions were confirmed when, a couple of days ago, I was travelling on a train of the type in the photograph. The awful details may be briefly told. Leaving Mrs B with the tickets in case the ticket lady came around during my absence, I got up to use the toilet, which was of the type mentioned above. I pressed the button and, with a smooth motion (such a lovely bit of "design") the door sighed open, slowly revealing the S-shaped crouching form of a middle-aged man at his evacuations. I have a confused recollection of the figure straightening as the man rose in surprise at my intrusion, of hairy male flanks, of trousers gathered in folds above a pair of shoes, and a bearded, open-mouthed face staring back with a thunderstruck look. I think I said "Ah" before retreating, terrible-eyed, to my seat.
Poor man. I suppose he'll remember it for the rest of his life. I experienced a pang of pity and remorse for the part I had unwittingly played in his humiliation. All the same, I also experienced a guilty pang of relief that the thing hadn't happened the other way around. I hope he doesn't develop a complex. Costiveness and irregularity are such distressing conditions. I would recommend that the railway authorities desist from this design in future and I advocate a return to conventional hinged doors and bolts that lock with a reassuring snap, displaying a little "Engaged" sign outside. As things are I think I'd rather wait until I reach my destination and resort to the relative privacy of a hedge.
For more animals and stories see www.wildcreartureshongkong.org
Dragonfly copulation, which can last for hours, is an aggressive, elaborate and acrobatic affair.
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Male dragonflies make the first move to initiate sex, usually whilst in flight, getting a firm hold on the females body. He then uses a pair of clamps on his abdomen to grab her by the neck, and when flying together this is called "tandem linkage" - amazing how some biologist came up with all these sex position names for insects eh?
They then consumate their sex, forming a wheel as the female bends the end of her body up to join the end of her abdomen with the male's thorax, where he actually has his penis. This position is unique to dragonflies (and maybe some gymnasts).
As females may mate with many partners, the last sexual partner will probably be the one to fertilise her eggs....so some males decide to "hang-on" and continue to clasp the female, even if they are not mating, often continuing to do this until she lays her eggs. This will deter other males, before or after mating and it gives a nice perch for a view around, as in the picture on the left below
All this seems very strange, but something even weirder "sexual death feigning" was discovered just in May last year ago by a Swiss scientist: to avoid sex some females fake their own deaths. Female moorland hawker dragonflies freeze mid-air, crash to the ground, and lie motionless when faced with aggressive males. Not sure that would help with aggressive Hollywood moguls tho.
This is part II of a IV part series.
The fate of the species secured, the male octopus relaxes and probably contemplates the meaning of love.
As far as i know, it's very rare to see a Blue Emperor copulation.
I've got wet feet and trousers, but it was worth it.
It is fairly easy to spot a male spider on a female Nephila's web regardless of species, this is because the sneaky males (in red; top) are always trying to get the opportunity to mate with the female (without being eaten, of course!) to ensure the survival of the species.
The males don't always just climb onto the underside of the female's abdomen to mate since it is quite risky for him to do so. Instead, he will stop at the top of the female's abdomen and wait for his opportunity.
More on Macro Photography here: pixelsdimension.com/
Check out Malaysia's wildlife here: wildlifemalaysia.com/
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1/400 s. - f/4 - 60 mm - ISO 400
Canon EOS 30D
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Handheld
Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CS3
Mating display of sunbird
Display: www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/2228095699
Actual coital sequence:
1 Female positioned herself and started fluttering www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/2228083267/
2 With the fluttering she leaned forward
www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/2228875066
3 The male which was displaying above and infront of her hovered in and mounted
www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/2228083025
4 Very briefly there was very close contact, the assumption is that penetration had occurred www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/2228082883
5 Before we realised it he was already dismounting (above)
6 and hovered away - this sequence was repeated twice more in quick succession before she turned away www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/2228874600
7 .. stopped the fluttering motion, apparently satisfied www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/2228874468
Apologies if this seems rather explicit
Purple-throated Sunbird -pair
Leptocoma sperata
Central catchment area, Singapore
28th. January 2008