Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Randy reptiles

12 May 2001

VOYEUR lizards that watch other couples getting it on will mate for longer
when their turn comes, according to a biologist in Sweden.

Mating with a female who has just copulated means that new sperm have to
compete with those of her previous partner. So knowing a female’s mating history
may influence the amount of effort a male puts into mating. Mats Olsson of the
University of Gothenburg has found that male dragon lizards mate for 60 per cent
longer with females they have just seen copulating, compared with females whose
track record was unknown.

The behaviour should improve a…

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