Whoa! Am still boggling. That sent me on a fascinating trek through Google. I was surprised to read in some sources that "only mammals have clitorises," which the turtle anatomy sources clearly contradict.
I hope turtle lady parts are sensitive, since turtle foreplay doesn't seem to go beyond "Brace yourself, Bridget."
Well, given that they spend hours out of every day having sex for what appears to be no particular reason other than entertainment, I would guess that they simply enjoy it. Not much point in evolving a clitoris if it's not functional.
Actually, turtle foreplay is pretty extensive. For some species, it's very gentle and poetic; for others, especially the big land tortoises, it's a lot more coercive. My male map turtle, Rodan, spends much of his day courting my female, Birdbrain; he strokes her face with his claws, rubs his face against hers, and delicately nips her. He also sticks close to her all the time and almost always has his paw on hers, and he sunbathes sitting on top of her. (Males are much smaller than females.) They also do a complicated head-bobbing dance. Their mating ritual includes this thing where the male shakes his claws in the female's face, but Birdbrain doesn't like it--it makes her swim away, looking distressed--so Rodan doesn't do it anymore. Even though they're not supposed to be smart enough to be able to modify something as hard-wired as a mating ritual, nor to have individual relationships. Yet my turtles clearly do have individual preferences with whom they hang out with or court.
One of my female sliders also thought the female map was beauteous and attempted to court her. She wasn't interested in the male.
Yeah, I was just reading about turtle foreplay. In my speciescentrism I was focused on genital foreplay only.
About the incessant sex -- and go turtles, by the way -- that bumps into what I've seen elsewhere about humans having sex more because ovulation is hidden. Maybe those sources are the same ones that insist only mammals have clitorises.
Thank you for giving me a reason to read about something other than Pro Tools and RaceFail today. :)
I guess humans aren't the only species that makes weird noises and facial expressions while having sex. Strangely, the turtles facial expressions reminds me of a guitarist I used to date.
I didn't know turtles could make such cute noises!
The Galapagos tortoises we had at the zoo would have sex so loud you could hear it on the other side of the zoo. I think I prefer the "Eee! Eee!" sound made by the little dude in the video.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 07:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 07:42 pm (UTC)(Why do I know this? Because I have turtles, who, typical of their kind, have sex incessantly, and bothered to look up their physiology.)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 08:06 pm (UTC)I hope turtle lady parts are sensitive, since turtle foreplay doesn't seem to go beyond "Brace yourself, Bridget."
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 08:18 pm (UTC)Actually, turtle foreplay is pretty extensive. For some species, it's very gentle and poetic; for others, especially the big land tortoises, it's a lot more coercive. My male map turtle, Rodan, spends much of his day courting my female, Birdbrain; he strokes her face with his claws, rubs his face against hers, and delicately nips her. He also sticks close to her all the time and almost always has his paw on hers, and he sunbathes sitting on top of her. (Males are much smaller than females.) They also do a complicated head-bobbing dance. Their mating ritual includes this thing where the male shakes his claws in the female's face, but Birdbrain doesn't like it--it makes her swim away, looking distressed--so Rodan doesn't do it anymore. Even though they're not supposed to be smart enough to be able to modify something as hard-wired as a mating ritual, nor to have individual relationships. Yet my turtles clearly do have individual preferences with whom they hang out with or court.
One of my female sliders also thought the female map was beauteous and attempted to court her. She wasn't interested in the male.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 08:24 pm (UTC)About the incessant sex -- and go turtles, by the way -- that bumps into what I've seen elsewhere about humans having sex more because ovulation is hidden. Maybe those sources are the same ones that insist only mammals have clitorises.
Thank you for giving me a reason to read about something other than Pro Tools and RaceFail today. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 09:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-11 04:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 08:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 09:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 09:21 pm (UTC)(Please don't tell me!)
*pew!* *pew!* *pew!* OMG so cute CANNOT LOOK AWAY
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 11:18 pm (UTC)Strangely, the turtles facial expressions reminds me of a guitarist I used to date.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-10 11:44 pm (UTC)The Galapagos tortoises we had at the zoo would have sex so loud you could hear it on the other side of the zoo. I think I prefer the "Eee! Eee!" sound made by the little dude in the video.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-11 01:54 pm (UTC)