microrobert
07-09-2012, 09:47 AM
Zoologger: The fish with its genitals on its head
http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn22023/dn22023-3_300.jpg
Species: Phallostethus cuulong
Habitat: surface waters of the Mekong River in Vietnam
The male fish, a Phallostethus cuulong just 2 centimetres long, weaves between drifting vegetation in the sluggish waters of a canal. He closes in on a female, swims alongside her and tries to mate with her.
But to an outside observer, he seems to be doing it wrong. His head is right next to the female's, but he's at a 45-degree angle so his rear end is well below hers. Sounds misguided, but actually he's doing it exactly right – it's just that his gonads are on his head.
Zoologger: The fish with its genitals on its head - life - 05 July 2012 - New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22023-zoologger-the-fish-with-its-genitals-on-its-head.html)
http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn22023/dn22023-3_300.jpg
Species: Phallostethus cuulong
Habitat: surface waters of the Mekong River in Vietnam
The male fish, a Phallostethus cuulong just 2 centimetres long, weaves between drifting vegetation in the sluggish waters of a canal. He closes in on a female, swims alongside her and tries to mate with her.
But to an outside observer, he seems to be doing it wrong. His head is right next to the female's, but he's at a 45-degree angle so his rear end is well below hers. Sounds misguided, but actually he's doing it exactly right – it's just that his gonads are on his head.
Zoologger: The fish with its genitals on its head - life - 05 July 2012 - New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22023-zoologger-the-fish-with-its-genitals-on-its-head.html)