nprfreshair:

On today’s Fresh Air, how various insects mate: “Damsel flies have a type of scoop on their penis which they can use to  drag out the sperm from a previous male and replace it with their own. It means that if [one male] is able to displace the sperm  of another male, then the genes for being able to displace the genes of  another male are going to be the ones that fertilize the female … So  her offspring are going to be able to displace sperm.”
[pictured: a pair of flies mating on a leaf via Alex Wild]

this is so weird…yet strangely interesting

nprfreshair:

On today’s Fresh Air, how various insects mate“Damsel flies have a type of scoop on their penis which they can use to drag out the sperm from a previous male and replace it with their own. It means that if [one male] is able to displace the sperm of another male, then the genes for being able to displace the genes of another male are going to be the ones that fertilize the female … So her offspring are going to be able to displace sperm.”

[pictured: a pair of flies mating on a leaf via Alex Wild]

this is so weird…yet strangely interesting