Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: mike2niner4 on 06/04/2009 21:30:04
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Michael Perry asked the Naked Scientists:
Hello NakedScientists!
I'm wondering why humans don't have a mating season ike other animals and why there aren't many species of human?
What do you think?
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Interesting question - we did coexist with another species once, H neanderthalensis, but something happened to lead to their extinction.
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Perhaps our "mating season" is only while the woman is ovulating?
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One would think maybe spring fever is a sign of a mating season... young men get flirty and girlies dress down and so do men and the weather is warm and there is a sense of fun and a lift of gloom which sometimes follows winter...
I must say a snuggle or 2 or 300 in the winter is quite nice!
But I am certain any season is good for me.. LOL
But like C4M says maybe it does have more to do with ovulation and such.. How often does a female bear ovulate and do they ovulate through the winter during hibernation..?
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my roommate in college actually did a paper about this. I know...quite ridiculous, but he did talk about spring being the human's mating season because the layers come off, yada yada yada you get the picture.
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Yes I do, but I would like to see the picture again someday! LOL...
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Animals which have breeding seasons do so to ensure the young are born when the weather conditions are right and there is a plentiful supply of food.
I suspect our ability to keep warm during the colder months has something to do with it. Also the fact that we are omnivores means we are not reliant on any particular food type.
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Animals which have breeding seasons do so to ensure the young are born when the weather conditions are right and there is a plentiful supply of food.
That would explain why when a woman has anorexia, her periods stop. Natures way of only letting us reproduce when there is a plentiful supply of food.
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I only have one mating season per year and it can be measured in hours. 8760.
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SEMINAR ON THE ART OF MAKING LOVE
Speaker : PROF. BEN DOVER
Colour code : Professor : Voice from back of auditorium : Proud man
There are 101 positions for making love.
One 'undred 'n two mate.
*Professor looks over glasses scanning back of hall then continues*
There are 101 positions for making love.
One 'undred 'n two mate.
Ignoring this rude interuption, if I may, there are 101 positions for making love, first, the woman lies on her back....
One 'undred 'n three mate!
Later in the same seminar.....
Let's have a show of hands of all those who have intercourse every day.
*A number of hands are raised*
How many once or twice a week?
*A good number of hands are raised*
How many once or twice a month?
*A lesser number of hands are raised*
How many 5 or 6 times a year?
*A few hands are embarrassingly raised*
And how many once a year
Me, me, over here, me, me, I'm here, whoop whoop whoop Yayyyyyy, I do, I do!!!!
*The man shouts loud and proud, jumping on the seat and waving his arms frantically*
Why are you so happy about it if you only have intercourse once a year?
Tonight's the night!!!!
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LOL.... LOL..... LOL... Well I m in the wrong seminar! LOL....
Hows about 0 a year!
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Hmmm... wierd.
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Hmmm... wierd.
Whats weird?
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The seminar.
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I thought that it was a funny joke!
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Animals which have breeding seasons do so to ensure the young are born when the weather conditions are right and there is a plentiful supply of food.
I suspect our ability to keep warm during the colder months has something to do with it. Also the fact that we are omnivores means we are not reliant on any particular food type.
I think this probably hits the nail on the head. There's no selective pressure to only breed at a certain time of the year, and so by being able to breed all year round we are at an advantage in the number of offspring we can produce. When you consider the energy demands of bearing and rearing children, we need every advantage we can get.
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There was a short SF story that explored the consequences of this. I disremember the title or author.
Long, story short June was a very interesting month and the rest of the time people were a lot less distracted.
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Animals which have breeding seasons do so to ensure the young are born when the weather conditions are right and there is a plentiful supply of food.
That would explain why when a woman has anorexia, her periods stop. Natures way of only letting us reproduce when there is a plentiful supply of food.
i always thought it was simply down to he females body being "selfish" and using all available nutrients for survival of themselves rather than reproduction, as once conception has occured the fetus becomes "selfish" and takes everything it needs from the mother, which can leave the mother malnourished.
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Animals which have breeding seasons do so to ensure the young are born when the weather conditions are right and there is a plentiful supply of food.
That would explain why when a woman has anorexia, her periods stop. Natures way of only letting us reproduce when there is a plentiful supply of food.
your theory is slightly flawed since elite sports women also cease menses, though their nutritional needs would be met.
In pregnancy the foetus does not act selfishly rather the mother acts unselfishly.
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The foetus is, in effect, a parasite. It is only retained and not expelled by the mother because her natural immune mechanisms are inhibited.
Not all other animals have breeding seasons. Breeding seasons are there when there is a significant advantage (Food / climate etc) in producing their young at a particular time. Mice do it as often as they possibly can, irrespective of the season, because they can breed faster that way.
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The foetus is, in effect, a parasite. It is only retained and not expelled by the mother because her natural immune mechanisms are inhibited.
Not all other animals have breeding seasons. Breeding seasons are there when there is a significant advantage (Food / climate etc) in producing their young at a particular time. Mice do it as often as they possibly can, irrespective of the season, because they can breed faster that way.
sorry just made me giggle ad you referred to it as "mice do it as often as they can" reminded my of when you couldn't say correct words cause you were all embarrassed about it, oh it made me smile thinking about that thank you. sorry for the randomness that iv know realised this comment is
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The foetus is, in effect, a parasite. It is only retained and not expelled by the mother because her natural immune mechanisms are inhibited.
One of the inclusive traits of a parasite is that it reproduces more quickly and in greater numbers than their host. Calling a foetus a 'parasite' is emotive.
Surely the relationship between a mother and the unborn child is nurturing and sustaining rather than unwillingly feeding.
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But it is the foetus which suppresses the mother's immune system to prevent it from being rejected as a foreign body, so in some way it is acting as a parasite might act, defending itself from the mother's body's natural reaction to it.
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yes I've herd it reffered to as a parasite many times and don't think it is a incorrect term to use, its simply how things have deveolped to survive, i fond out today that my mam needed injections to stop her body rejecting me, even then she didn't like me! haha
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Back to the question. We don't have a mating season but we do have libido spurts at our fertile time of the month. I guess humans don't need a season as their survival doesn't rely on good weather like it used to do.
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Should we move on to the second part of this question....
Michael Perry asked the Naked Scientists:
Hello NakedScientists!
I'm wondering why humans don't have a mating season ike other animals and why there aren't many species of human?
What do you think?
In fact there is only one species of human.
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Good spotting.
How can we ever live with ourselves if that question went unanswered!
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Michael Perry asked the Naked Scientists:
Hello NakedScientists!
I'm wondering why humans don't have a mating season ike other animals and why there aren't many species of human?
What do you think?
Because humans aren't animals. We were created much differently than animals.
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Michael Perry asked the Naked Scientists:
Hello NakedScientists!
I'm wondering why humans don't have a mating season ike other animals and why there aren't many species of human?
What do you think?
Because humans aren't animals. We were created much differently than animals.
Well, I don't think that's true. We are animals, and were not created. We evolved from a common ancestor with the other great apes. Unless you're suggesting we're a very unusual form of plant, fungi or bacteria?
Why is there only one species of human? I think Homo Sapiens outcompeted the competition. There's some suggestion that early humans ate neanderthals - http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/17/neanderthals-cannibalism-anthropological-sciences-journal.