Odd couples : extraordinary differences between the sexes in the animal kingdom / Daphne J. Fairbairn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fairbairn, Daphne J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sexual dimorphism (Animals).

Sexual behavior in animals.

Sex differences.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (278 pages) : color illustrations

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

While we joke that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, our gender differences can't compare to those of many other animals. For instance, the male garden spider spontaneously dies after mating with a female more than fifty times his size. And male blanket octopuses employ a copulatory arm longer than their own bodies to mate with females that outweigh them by four orders of magnitude. Why do these gender gulfs exist? Introducing readers to important discoveries in animal behavior and evolution, Odd Couples explores some of the most extraordinary sexual differences in the animal world. Daphne Fairbairn uncovers the unique and bizarre characteristics of these remarkable species and the special strategies they use to maximize reproductive success. Fairbairn also considers humans and explains that although we are keenly aware of our own sexual differences, they are unexceptional within the vast animal world. Looking at some of the most amazing creatures on the planet, Odd Couples sheds astonishing light on what it means to be male or female in the animal kingdom.

Contents:

The roots of sexual differences : why male and female animals differ

Elephant seals : harems, hierarchies, and giant males

Great bustards : gorgeous males and choosy females

Shell-carrying cichlids : protective males and furtive females

Yellow garden spiders : sedentary females and roving males

Blanket octopuses : drifting females and dwarf males

Giant seadevils : fearsome females and parasitic males

Bone-eating worms : female tubeworms with harems of minuscule males

Shell-burrowing barnacles : sac-like females with harems of phallic males

The diversity of sexual differences : differences between males and females across the animal kingdom

Appendix A: Scientific names corresponding to common names used in the text

Appendix B: Summary of sexual dimorphisms by animal phylum.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781299474840

1299474845

9781400847600

1400847605

OCLC:

840472975