Are there any examples in the animal kingdom of males having a fertility cycle? I want to hijack some jargon for a SciFi story.
AJ
Are there any examples in the animal kingdom of males having a fertility cycle? I want to hijack some jargon for a SciFi story.
AJ
The seven year itch?
* * *
But seriously, in most species the period of oscillation is approximately equal to the median lifespan of the species.
in most species the period of oscillation is approximately equal to the median lifespan of the species.
In that case, I think I'll request not to be buried until a decade after my death because I'll still be fertile ;)
AJ
Me : The seven year itch?
You : Those weren't animals, those were Vulcans.
Pon Farr ...
The Seven Year Itch (1955) starring Marilyn Monroe.
Star Who-Gives-A-Fuck-About-Anyone-Who-Gives-A-Fuck, first released in 1966, I think, but don't really care.
The Seven Year Itch (1955) starring Marilyn Monroe.
I know the movie, I saw it when I was a kid. (Albeit on TV, not at the moving picture house. I'm not THAT old.)
But ... a chance to make a Star Trek reference was handed to me on a silver platter. Come on, I had to take it.
But ... a chance to make a Star Trek reference was handed to me on a silver platter. Come on, I had to take it.
I'm fine with that if you can accept my ten-word hyphenated expression as an opportunity I could not pass up. :-)
Some years back I was a contributor to a round-robin story written by the members of a now defunct writing group. Thanks to my contributions, the robots who served humans before humanity died out were modelled on Marilyn Monroe (even the women members liked that one!) Sadly the story was left hanging when the writing group died. The human protagonist, who had been propelled into the distant future, had just been told that the artificial intelligences now controlling Earth had detected signals from intelligent aliens, but without humans to guide them, hadn't seen any purpose in responding.
AJ
Are there any examples in the animal kingdom of males having a fertility cycle?
Can't think of any. Of course you could use female jargon.
Your female readers could really identify with their male counterparts in your story. :)
Male seahorses have a fertility cycle that synced with the female.
Seahorses are ... weird though. Like really weird.
Male seahorses have a fertility cycle that synced with the female.
I done a fair amount of googling on the subject but the articles I found are most remarkable for what they don't say. Experts 'believe' that the elaborate courtship rituals conducted by the two sexes somehow bring their cycles into sync, but there is minimal biological detail and certainly no jargon.
AJ
Not an answer, but a possible alternative for jargon seeking as it relates to the exact opposite.
IIRC Female rabbits only go into oestrus / estrus when they have sex. The males are always randy and willing to oblige.
I've just done a quick google on the subject. The first four sites claim that rabbits don't have an oestrus cycle, then go on to explain that there is a cycle lasting 12/13/14/15-16 days which sounds to me extremely like an oestrus cycle. The next site claims that rabbits DO have an oestrus cycle, and gives details on how to detect a doe's most fertile time. However all the sites agree that ovulation is stimulated by, and occurs approximately 10 hours after copulation, provided it's at a fertile time.
Fascinating, but not a ready source of jargon for male oestrus cycles :(
AJ
You'd need academic credentials to gain access to articles with jargon. I would also say that you may be overestimating the number of "jargon" words used in scientific literature.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848608004067
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0034-71082001000100011&script=sci_arttext
The second link has the full article available to public for no cost. It may prove useful.
The second link
Thank you! Lots of jargon, but not related to the seahorse oestrus cycle that I could see. :(
Comparing the two articles (or what's freely available of the first one), it's clear how much progress in understanding seahorses has been relatively recent. From my google searches, seahorses are no longer thought to be monogamous, and I believe I read that the seahorse foetuses derive some nourishment from the pouch wall they're attached to as well as from their egg.
Oh well, I can always make up some jargon. That's something science fiction writers have to be good at.
AJ
I always believed that the difference between man and animals is that animals have a season but no reason while men have a reason but no season!
I always believed that the difference between man and animals is that animals have a season but no reason while men have a reason but no season!
Very apposite. I'm trying to avoid using the term 'in season'.
AJ
Very apposite. I'm trying to avoid using the term 'in season'.
It doesn't actually affect fertility, but you might want to look into the rut for male deer.
Or birds, it would seem.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11820561
"I'm afraid he's gone to ground at the moment, so we won't be able to celebrate his 20th birthday with him," she says. "His transmitter seems to have failed and we have no idea where he is.
"But when his hormone levels increase next summer and the mating season is underway, he will show up. That is when he seeks people out, because he much prefers human company to that of the other kakapo."
. . .
Sirocco's love affair with people started after he was hand-reared as a chick following a respiratory illness.
Since then he has refused to mate with other kakapo and considers humans his natural partners.
When breeding season arrives each summer, other male kakapo mobilise a "track and bowl" system to attract females.
Not Sirocco however - he prefers human women.