View allAll Photos Tagged copulating
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.
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.
She's impressed and her posture will lead to copulation and more nest building.
I've been watching three herons and assumed that the one on the right was a juvenile from last year. The male has spent 90% of his time with a nest 20-ft away. I think there's an egg over there because the female of that nest got down into the nest (on an egg I presume) when a crow showed too much interest. Next thing I know, the male is copulating with the bird in the other nest.
AllAboutBirds.com says that herons are "mostly" monogamous with different mates potentially each season. I think that a male might have two mates in the same season.
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.
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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
Una pareja de libélulas copula sobre unas flores que surgen del agua de un pantano (ver en grande)
Two dragonflys copulate over the flowers rising on the water of a reservoir (see large)
Canon 450D, 100mm Macro, 1/200 seg, F/8, ISO 100
Here's another bit of behavior from the Mining Bee's, up to 10 males will try and mate with the female at once but after a while only one will remain.
South Luangwa | Zambia
Lions need to copulate repeatedly to ovulate and conceive (termed 'induced ovulation'), hence they have to mate a number of times every hour over a period of days so, despite this being the middle of the day with temperatures in the high 30 degrees celcius, the work must go on!
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Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana)
This time of year, these beetles are all over the lavender plants in our office garden, shamelessly copulating in public :-)
Despite its scientific name (Chrysolina americana), the Rosemary Beetle is a native of southern Europe. It is usually found on its favorite host plants: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) (hence its common name) or Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) (like in this photo), but it is likely that other plants in the Mint plant family (Lamiaceae) may also act as hosts.
kingdom: Animalia
phylum: Arthropoda
subphylum: Hexapoda
class: Insecta
order: Coleoptera
suborder: Polyphaga
infraorder: Cucujiformia
superfamily: Chrysomeloidea
family: Chrysomelidae
subfamily: Chrysomelinae
genus: Chrysolina
species: C. americana