Why is it always males that get eaten during sex?
In the middle of baby-making, a female praying mantis will sometimes chomp down on a male’s head, then devour him as she finishes mating with him. And mantises aren’t alone; many different species lunch on their lovers. But one thing is remarkably consistent: it’s almost always the females doing the eating. Why is it dudes that always end up as dinner?
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Show Notes
To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Sexual cannibalism: the practice of consuming a mate directly before, during, or after mating
- Aggressive spillover: the idea that aggression that's favored for early in life can be maladaptive in a mating situation
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