this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2026
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Science Memes

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Also literally known as the Horror Frog (mander.xyz)
submitted 13 hours ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] protist@retrofed.com 19 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

Nature is fucked up. Bedbugs mate via "traumatic insemination," where the male stabs the female in the gut with his reproductive organ and injects sperm straight into her body. And we all know about ducks...

Crazy shit evolves.

[–] morto@piefed.social 5 points 7 hours ago

Evolution only favors continuity, not well-being, and that's why we should stop glorifying it

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Out of the loop on these ducks, are we talking about the duck rape?

[–] ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Probably the evolutionary arms race between rapey males and females. Males have long corkscrew penises that inflate rapidly during copulation to fill the tract of the female. Females, what with their desire to choose mates and all, have evolved corkscrew vaginal tracts with dead ends and stuff that spirals in the opposite direction. Forced mating frequently ends without insemination, as a result.

I am genuinely unsure of the mechanism by which successful mating actually happens, considering the anatomical arms race and all (maybe it’s like dolphins, which have a similar problem. Female dolphins have a false vagina and can choose where the male’s sperm goes by changing her tail position), but they seem to be able to reproduce, so it is what it is, and I’m not super keen to look it up at the moment.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Fyi, I'm pretty sure the duck rape thing is specific to mallards. But I'm not an ornithologist

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 6 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not read up on current bird law either

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

Have you talked to Charlie Day about it? He can probably help you out

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 hours ago

That is wild lol thanks for sharing

[–] GrilledCheese@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 5 hours ago

I assume they are talking about the spiraled reproductive organs