Seattle! I’m reading and signing books this Friday at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Come say hi!

“Oh man, I just learned a cool trick with the trap-jaw ant.”

“What’s that, evolution?”

“Well, I gave them those huuuuuge snapping mandibles to crush prey, right?”

“Yeah, those seem effective.”

“They’re working great. And I just realized they can help it with predators, too.”

“Really? Aren’t its predators huge?”

“Yeah, but if the ant snaps those big jaws against the ground, it can catapult itself it into the air.”

“Catapult?”

“Yeah! It just kind of flings itself away from the attacker at great speed.”

“Huh, okay. And what’s going to happen when it comes back down?”

“Oh, come on, I can’t figure everything out.”

Source: Sheila Patek et al., UC Berkeley

“Oh man, I just learned a cool trick with the trap-jaw ant.”

“What’s that, evolution?”

“Well, I gave them those huuuuuge snapping mandibles to crush prey, right?”

“Yeah, those seem effective.”

“They’re working great. And I just realized they can help it with predators, too.”

“Really? Aren’t its predators huge?”

“Yeah, but if the ant snaps those big jaws against the ground, it can catapult itself it into the air.”

“Catapult?”

“Yeah! It just kind of flings itself away from the attacker at great speed.”

“Huh, okay. And what’s going to happen when it comes back down?”

“Oh, come on, I can’t figure everything out.”

Source: Sheila Patek et al., UC Berkeley

“Evolution, what are those flatworms doing?”

“Oh, they’re getting ready to penis-fence.”

“Penis… fence?”

“Yeah. They’re hermaphrodites, so either of them can inseminate the other one to reproduce, but neither one actually wants to be inseminated.”

“They… don’t?”

“Well, no. It’s much easier to be the inseminator. I kind of set it up so that actually bearing the offspring totally sucks. Haha, whoops!”

“So… they’re going to…”

“Try to stab each other with their two-pronged penises while simultaneously avoiding getting stabbed themselves, yes.”

“Jesus.”

“The good news is that there’s no real reproductive opening, so they can just pierce the skin wherever and get the sperm in.”

“That’s the good news?”

“Well, I thought so. Ooh, they’re starting! Fatherhood to the victor!”

“It is way too early in the morning for this.”

Source: Wikimedia Commons / Photo courtesy of Nico Michiels / licensed under CC BY 2.5

BAY AREA! I’m reading tonight at Books Inc. Berkeley. Come say hello!

“Evolution, what are those flatworms doing?”

“Oh, they’re getting ready to penis-fence.”

“Penis… fence?”

“Yeah. They’re hermaphrodites, so either of them can inseminate the other one to reproduce, but neither one actually wants to be inseminated.”

“They… don’t?”

“Well, no. It’s much easier to be the inseminator. I kind of set it up so that actually bearing the offspring totally sucks. Haha, whoops!”

“So… they’re going to…”

“Try to stab each other with their two-pronged penises while simultaneously avoiding getting stabbed themselves, yes.”

“Jesus.”

“The good news is that there’s no real reproductive opening, so they can just pierce the skin wherever and get the sperm in.”

“That’s the good news?”

“Well, I thought so. Ooh, they’re starting! Fatherhood to the victor!”

“It is way too early in the morning for this.”

Source: Wikimedia Commons / Photo courtesy of Nico Michiels / licensed under CC BY 2.5

BAY AREA! I’m reading tonight at Books Inc. Berkeley. Come say hello!