Insect sex

As species, we have little in common with bees, fruit flies and beetles. Do they feel pain? Do they experience pleasure? What is sex like for them? Do they enjoy it in any way—physical or otherwise?

All rights reserved. This picture of two mating insects comes with an unexpected twist. The one on top is a female, and she has a penis. The one on the bottom is a male, and he has the equivalent of a vagina.

Insect sex may seem fairly simple: fluttering dances, clasping abdomens, a quick mount on a forest floor. But a new review of homosexual insect encounters suggests the acts may not be that straightforward for the individuals involved. Researchers have widely examined homosexual behavior in mammals and birds , but have addressed it less frequently in insects and spiders. To assess the range of evolutionary explanations for same-sex intercourse in the invertebrate world, a team of biologists from Tel Aviv University in Israel and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland examined roughly existing studies on the topic and compiled the first comprehensive review of homosexuality in invertebrates.

You think you're naughty and transgressive? Humans just don't get that freaky compared to insects. An ongoing evolutionary tug of war to control fertilization has led to appallingly rough sexual practices in bugs. Male penises are covered in spikes, scoops, harpoons, and stabby daggers. Females occasionally kill and eat their suitors.