Scientists have found a bushcricket species with testicles that account for up to 14% of its body weight.
It is the animal with the biggest testicles in relation to its body weight, they write in Biology Letters.
In a study of their mating strategies, the team found they release only small amounts of sperm at each mating.
That suggests the big testes are for mating with many females, not producing competitive volumes of sperm for each encounter.
Significant research across the animal kingdom has shown that male testicle size is correlated to the degree of promiscuity within a given species.
The more partners a female has, the larger the male's testicles are likely to be.
Larger testicles produce more sperm, and a long-standing assumption has been that a kind of numbers game is played out within the female to fertilise her eggs.
The male that provides a higher amount of sperm in that scenario has a higher likelihood of fathering offspring.
Many experiments in vertebrate species - including in our closest primate relatives - have borne out that idea.
However, an alternative hypothesis is that larger testicles permit a higher total number of mates, rather than a higher amount of sperm allocated to a single mate.
Link, rest of article, and pictures XD: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11718029
It is the animal with the biggest testicles in relation to its body weight, they write in Biology Letters.
In a study of their mating strategies, the team found they release only small amounts of sperm at each mating.
That suggests the big testes are for mating with many females, not producing competitive volumes of sperm for each encounter.
Significant research across the animal kingdom has shown that male testicle size is correlated to the degree of promiscuity within a given species.
The more partners a female has, the larger the male's testicles are likely to be.
Larger testicles produce more sperm, and a long-standing assumption has been that a kind of numbers game is played out within the female to fertilise her eggs.
The male that provides a higher amount of sperm in that scenario has a higher likelihood of fathering offspring.
Many experiments in vertebrate species - including in our closest primate relatives - have borne out that idea.
However, an alternative hypothesis is that larger testicles permit a higher total number of mates, rather than a higher amount of sperm allocated to a single mate.
Link, rest of article, and pictures XD: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11718029
