QMI Agency Last Updated: November 10, 2010
- The Tuberous bushcricket is a bug that has giant balls - 14% of it's body weight is testicles. (University of Derby, HO)
It kind of makes you wonder how they hop with those things. U.K. researchers have determined the bushcricket is the animal with the largest testicles in relation to its body weight. The species of grasshopper's testicles make up 14% of its body weight, researchers at the University of Derby have found. However, the study also discovered they produce less sperm than those with regular-sized testicles. "We couldn't believe the size of these organs," lead researcher Dr. Karim Vahed said. "They seemed to fill the entire abdomen." In comparison, the testicles of a fruit fly make up 10.6% of its body weight. Vahed said the "extra large testes" allow the male bushcricket to transfer relatively small ejaculates to a greater number of females. Female bushcrickets mate with up to 23 different males during their two-month adult life."Males don't put all their eggs --or rather sperm -- in one basket," Vahed said.
1 comment:
That was a refreshing article!
Post a Comment