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Forty million years ago, a female mite met an attractive partner, grabbed him with her clingy rear end and began to mate -- just before a blob of tree resin fell on the couple, preserving the moment for eternity.
Researchers Pavel Klimov and Ekaterina Sidorchuk studied the copulating mite pair, now preserved in Baltic amber. They noticed traditional sex roles were reversed.
"In this species, it is the female who has partial or complete control of mating," explained Klimov, an associate research scientist at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. "This is in contrast to the present-day reproductive behavior of many mite species where almost all aspects of copulation are controlled by males."
Mite sex is probably more complex and interesting than you might imagine for speck-sized creatures. In many present day mite species, males coerce females to mate. The males fight off other potential suitors, and guard females before and after mating. If a partner isn't in the mood, too bad.
Male harassment of females is common.
Is this "males coerce females to mate" a euphemism for rape? "If a partner isn't in the mood, too bad."...sure sounds like it.
Originally posted by Kangaruex4Ewe
Mite sex is probably more complex and interesting than you might imagine for speck-sized creatures. In many present day mite species, males coerce females to mate. The males fight off other potential suitors, and guard females before and after mating. If a partner isn't in the mood, too bad.