Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Romantic Dung Beetle

This creature, with the name "scarab" as an alias, was sacred to the ancient Egyptians, and I can see why. What a gentleman! The little fellow's giving his mate a ride along a South African road on a ball of poop. Once they arrive at the right spot, they'll bury the ball, have... an intimate moment, shall we say? And then the guy'll wander off, leaving her to lay eggs inside it. She'll remain to guard them.



Yesterday being dedicated to romance in the USA, Kat and I sat and watched videos of interesting courtship rituals. My own ritual involved the preparation of cheese-free mushroom fondue and heart-shaped rolls to break up and dip into it. The monkey brings offerings of food to his mate. She needed something to occupy her time while I made a huge mess of the kitchen and, curious, as monkeys will be, I joined her. That reminds me, I have to go finish cleaning said mess.

Since the weather is starting to feel a bit spring-like, at least in Florida, maybe I should post a series of interesting mating rituals. Not a bad idea. Stay tuned!

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