For anyone who only sees gender and sex in black and white, here’s proof by the lovely humon that nature is just as fluid with representations of gender and sex as we are.
I appreciate the attempt of these cartoons but I can’t help but point out that information in this reflects some outdated interpretations of behavior discussed and otherwise contains known inaccuracies when describing gendered behavior in animals.
I have previously discussed how the penises of female spotted hyenas are incorrectly referred to as “pseudo-penises.”
The cuttlefish cartoon is particularly troubling in its incorporation of the concept of female mimicry, which just happens to be complete bullpucky. Let me explain:
Cuttlefish males come in two varieties. There are larger males which are visually distinct and smaller males that are similar in appearance to females of the species.
During mating, large cuttlefish males become combative with one another in attracting females. They also become territorial and will attack other large males who enter their territory.
A large male will, however, allow a small male to enter his territory.
During mating, cuttlefish engage in a courting ritual involving a large male, a small male and a female in which both males fertilize some of the female’s eggs, with the large male fertilizing more.
The theory of female mimicry explains that the large male allows small males to enter his territory and engage in mating being the large male is “tricked” into think the small male is actually a female.
There are several problems with this.
First of all, while small males look similar to females, they do not look exactly the same. As since cuttlefish, who hunt for tiny scraps of food at the bottom of the ocean, have quite good eyesight, it seems unlikely that the large males can’t tell the difference between a small male and a female.
There is also the issue of the courtship ritual. The ritual always involves a large male, a small male and a female. It is never a large male and two females. It is never a large male and two small males. And further more the small male and the female behave differently during the courtship and never reverse roles. It seems quite clear that everyone knows who and what everyone else is.
An alternative (and, in my opinion, better) explanation is that the smaller male serves as a facilitator for courtship between large, aggressive males and females. Entering large males’ territory to demonstrate to females that it is safe. The large male is aware of the small male’s role in attracting females and allows his to enter the territory. As payment for attracting the female, the small male is allowed to fertilize a percentage of the female’s eggs. The majority of the eggs are still fertilized by the large, dominant male. Everybody wins.
It is also possible that the similarity in appearance between small males and females is simply a coincidence, since both are trying to communicate the same message to males, namely that they are not a threat.
There are also some species of fish that have a third male morph that is even smaller than the feminine males and dart in and out of large males’ territories attempting to fertilize eggs. In contrast with the feminine males, large males with attack the darting males for entering their territory.
For more information, check out Joan Roughgarden’s Evolution’s Rainbow.
Commentary
Omg, I am a spotted hyena.