FEMALE cockroaches fancy anything in an exoskeleton once their fertility has
declined, say biologists at the University of Manchester. Unlike their choosy
younger sisters—who take more time to pick a mate—they will have sex
with any male.
Although they don’t know what triggers the behaviour, Patricia Moore and her
husband Allen Moore say there’s a good evolutionary reason for it. Older females
who do not mate early have fewer than half as many offspring during their
lifetime as roaches that mate early.
The older roaches’ carefree love life was uncovered while the team was
researching the creatures’ fertility.…
