|
|
Article: She-male garter snakes: some like it hot.(snake uses trick to create warmth and protection)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- November 17, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Male garter snakes limping out of hibernation in northern Manitoba can mimic females and drive dozens of other guys to wriggle over them. The force behind this deluded orgy may not be sex, though.
Until now, scientists presumed that female mimicry gives its perpetrators an edge in mating, explains Rick Shine of the University of Sydney in Australia. But there's no evidence for any mating advantages for the "she-male" garter snakes, nor do scientists know how these awakening snakes attract other males.
The fakery needs a new explanation, argue Shine and his colleagues in the Nov. 15 NATURE. They propose that these snakes creeping out of 8 months of ...