Life is full of beauty and drama...
and its driving force is sex.
Every animal on earth is descended
from a four-billion-year dynasty of successful breeders.
We now know that the urge to breed is driven by genes
which compel animals to fight and even die for sex.
The evolution of sex has been
the greatest breakthrough in the history of life.
It's a battleground where only the sexiest will triumph.
Many of nature's bloodiest battles are fought
for the sake of sex.
It's easy to take such passion for granted
but why should males and females suffer so much for sex?
The real payoff lies not in the act itself
but in continuing their family line.
Sex is life's gateway to the future
a way for genes to pass from one generation to the next.
and genes drive both males and females to behave
in extraordinary ways in the quest for immortality.
For animals, that vital quest can be
life's ultimate challenge.
The struggle to breed makes heavy demands.
One sex often pays a higher price than the other.
Many females are burdened with bringing up babies
while for most males, the only chore seems to be sex itself.
Except for sex, it often seems
that females could raise families on their own.
Even when it comes to hunting
it's often the females that do all the work
and take the greatest risks.
Even when caught, prey can still injure the hunters.
Despite all this effort
the lionesses don't have long to enjoy their spoils.
The bigger, stronger male soon claims the lion's share.
Many females seem to get a bad deal out of life
for the sake of sex.
But they are simply being driven by their genes.
The females instinctively make sacrifices in order to breed.
Throughout the animal world
equality rarely has a place in sex.
But just occasionally, it's the male, not the female
that makes the ultimate sacrifice.
A male redback spider has found a female's lair.
But will he be recognized as a potential suitor
or will this female see him as her next meal?
His footsteps vibrate the web, sending all the right signals.
she gets the message and stays still
Tentatively, he maneuvers into place.
One false move and he could be dead.
His palps, resembling tiny boxing gloves
are packed with sperm.
He drums them against her
as the prelude to an extraordinary sexual act.
He's in, and the sperm transfer begins.
But at this climactic moment he makes a bizarre move
He flips his body over into her jaws.
He forfeits his own life-- all for the sake of sex.
But there's method in his madness.
While she's busy eating, he's still pumping.
And more sperm means more of his babies.
For his genes, it makes perfect sense.
He has to die sometime, and by trading in his life early
he's ensuring a bigger stake in the next generation.
Such suicidal strategies have evolved surprisingly often
in the mating game.
In this river
sockeye salmon are reaching the end of their lives.
The past few weeks have taken their toll.
They've swum 1,500 miles upstream from the ocean
in search of sex, driven by instinct to push on and on.
It's the journey of a lifetime.
They've made it to the gravel bed where they first hatched.
Exhausted by their struggle, they have one last mission:
They must compete for mates.
Males jostle one another
for a chance to fertilize a female's eggs.
The stakes are high:
Those that breed are winners in the evolutionary war;
those that don't are destined to evolutionary oblivion.
Every salmon will die
but some will live on, through their offspring.
Within each egg lie the blueprints of life--
genes, inherited from both parents.
Instructed by those genes
a shapeless egg turns into a baby salmon--
a salmon with a genetic pedigree to breed successfully.
The secrets of success are passed
down countless generations
within genes that approach immortality.
The individuals that carry them live only a few years.
But there are far easier ways to pass on genes
without the sacrifices of sex.
Remarkably, these sea anemones can reproduce without a partner.
They don't need sex.
The anemones simply split themselves down the middle
to create two identical animals - clones.
It seems drastic, but it's a very effective way to breed:
no need to search for a mate, no risk of being exploited by one.
And it's quick-- in just a few hours one anemone divides
into babies that can reproduce in exactly the same way.
The young anemone is a perfect clone of its parent
sharing identical genes.
And cloning as a means of rapid reproduction
is a method used by more complex animals, too.
In the wake of a tropical cyclone
a raft of vegetation drifts in the ocean.
On board is a small passenger: a female gecko.
The raft runs aground on a remote island.
It's a safe haven, but there are no other geckos here.
So there's no chance of her finding a mate.
But this gecko is no average castaway.
For her, isolation isn't a problem, it's an opportunity.
She's fully equipped to reproduce alone.
And once in the shady interior of the island
she will waste no time in starting her own colony.
She lays eggs, but she does not need a male to fertilize them.
Inside each, an embryo will develop
identical to its mother-- a perfect clone.
A few weeks later, the baby geckos hatch.
They're all female
and can also lay eggs without needing to mate.
Soon, the island will be crawling with geckos
all descended from the single mother.
In this species there are no males.
Breeding without sex might work well on a paradise island
but it's a perilous strategy elsewhere in the world
where predators and disease are rampant.
In the Australian outback
cloned geckos have a much tougher time.
They must keep an eye open for danger.
This goanna is just one of the predators to avoid.
And there are other threats that are much harder to hide from.
Tiny parasitic mites around the gecko's eye suck her blood.
Unseen diseases can also kill, and if one gecko falls ill
the whole population of identical clones is at risk.
Like their island relatives, these geckos multiply rapidly.
Each gives birth alone to female clones.
But here, cloning is a double-edged sword.
If a parasite finds a weakness in one gecko
it can infect all the others.
The population can crash even faster than it grew.
But living alongside the clones are other female geckos
which do pair with males and multiply through sex.
half as quick-- males don't have babies..
But sex has a distinct advantage--
it mixes genes and creates unique offspring
each with its own unique defense against infection.
Parasites have a tough time
spreading through this population.
These geckos, by shuffling their genes during sex
stay one step ahead.
This key advantage helps explain why sex is so widespread.
But the advantages of sex may reach deeper
than merely shuffling the pack of genes.
Sex revitalizes the genes themselves.
The two sets of genes that come together during sex
each have their own imperfections
because genes get damaged from time to time.
Sex repairs these faulty genes
by replacing them with good copies from the other partner.
So with each passing generation
sex rejuvenates genes, handing them the key to immortality.
Throughout its two-billion-year history
sex has been swapping genes.
The new combinations that result
are the raw material that feeds evolution.
Through sex, evolution has created
our planet's amazing diversity of life.
To breed, sexual animals must swap genes.
And in the mating game, the challenge is to find the best.
This is how albatross do it.
After spending months apart alone at sea
the birds are compelled by their sexual urge
to spend hour after hour in an elegant dance.
This is no frivolous flirtation.
They're picking partners
to share their investment in the future.
Inside the female, this investment has already begun.
She's carrying a single large egg...
an expensive life-support system for the next generation.
But a male produces millions of sperm...
tiny inexpensive packages of genes--
a difference in size almost as old as sex itself.
Two billion years ago, when it first evolved
sex was a simple matter.
Cells just bumped into each other...
and then swapped genes.
But for an average cell living in a big ocean
this wasn't always easy.
Smaller more agile cells were better at finding partners.
And larger, fatter cells. well stocked with energy
were more easily found.
Combining their talents
these odd couples paired off faster than the rest.
Soon, the seas were filled with cells specialized for sex.
Large eggs and tiny sperm were here to stay.
Today, the difference in size between eggs and sperm
has reached amazing extremes.
From the outside, this female kiwi
looks almost identical to her male partner.
But look inside her...
and there's a truly enormous egg--
so large that she'll only produce a few in her lifetime.
The male, in contrast, produces millions of sperm
every time he mates--
enough to fertilize every female kiwi on the planet.
Quantity versus quality...
male versus female.
Each sex has its own rules in this game...
even those curious creatures that play on both sides.
On Australia's Great Barrier Reef
some animals are both male and female: hermaphrodites.
These flatworms produce both eggs and sperm.
But they don't fertilize themselves.
They need new genes to mix with their own
so they must cruise the reef in search of sex.
When they meet, an expected move might be
for one to play male and the other female.
But flatworms have their own game plan.
Each tries to be male
stabbing at the other with a harpoon-like penis
that can pierce any part of the other worm's skin.
In this strange duel, the rules of engagement are simple:
stab and avoid being stabbed.
These flatworms even have a double harpoon
perhaps twice as effective
and all the better to inject their sperm
into as many other worms as possible.
Their sperm are small and cheap and they've plenty to spare.
But they keep their large, valuable eggs in reserve.
In every contest there has to be a loser
but there's triumph in this defeat.
The loser's eggs will be fertilized by sperm
with winning genes, an asset to the next generation.
For male animals
spreading their genes is cheap and relatively easy.
The hardest task for some is finding females.
Especially when they live
in the vast tangled swamps of Venezuela.
Here, all eyes are on the lookout
for a dangerous predatory female.
She's an anaconda, the swamp's largest hunter.
She would have no problem eating a caiman...
or a capybara.
She's 18 feet long
and weighs more than 200 pounds.
The larger she is, the more young she can have.
Her fertile body acts like a beacon to male anacondas.
She need make no effort to find them.
The male, only one-fifth her weight, is puny by comparison.
But, like the sperm he carries, he's sleek and mobile
and his all-important task is finding her.
He's tracked her down.
But he's not the first.
Eight male anacondas are already wrapped around the female.
They may remain entwined for a month or more.
Each male has a pair of spurs for tickling the female
stimulating her to mate.
The males wrestle to be the winner
in this serpentine battle for sex.
The struggle becomes clearer when the action is speeded up.
The big female seems passive
but she's hugely attractive, and need do little else.
While the males compete among themselves
she saves her energy to nurture her eggs.
But not all females are as languid as the anaconda.
Sharp-eyed and on the lookout for males
female marine iguanas are waiting for their chance.
They pick males based on their territories
so the larger males must compete for the best spots.
Until clear winners have emerged
eating, not mating, is the females' priority.
Now is the best time, when the tide's out
so they race for the shore.
For males seeking sex, food is off the agenda;
they must stay and fight.
These often bloody battles sort out the men from the boys--
important if the females are to know who's who.
The females, meanwhile, gorge on fresh seaweed.
Food is vital to nourish the eggs growing inside them
no matter how hard it is to reach.
The battles on the rocks continue
through the heat of the day.
The winner will take center stage
ready for the females' return.
As the females travel up the beach, they are watched
by smaller males without the strength to win fights.
Their tactic is to jump on passing females.
But she wants a male that has fought to prove his strength.
She continues on towards the rocks.
A winning male welcomes females onto his patch.
He sniffs them to see if they're ready to mate
and to accept his genes.
But still the males must wait until the females accept them.
Female iguanas pick their partners from a crowd of males.
But how do other female animals choose the best
when they only meet one male at a time?
A surprising answer has been found in the woods of Ohio.
In spring, wolf spiders start looking for mates.
The female stays hidden, wary of predators
but she leaves a trail of silk that a male might find.
When he stumbles on it he detects the presence of a potential mate.
She senses his tapping signal...
then sees his waving legs.
But why does she choose this male above all others?
Something about him really attracts her.
He has long bristles on his front legs
tufts that seem to serve no practical purpose.
He shows them off by giving her a wave.
But could it really be hairy legs
that catch a female spider's eye?
To find out, spiders' viewing habits have been analyzed.
This is video dating, spider style.
A mini TV screen plays life-size images of courting males.
But there's something missing.
This male has no hair tufts on his legs.
The female is unimpressed.
But show her a male with normal leg tufts
and she's interested.
And if he has huge leg tufts...
then she's really excited.
If females find hairy legs sexy, so will their daughters
and they'll have sons with hairy legs, too.
For these spiders, hairy legs are here to stay.
Battles between males using good looks to attract choosy mates
have led to extremes of flamboyance
especially among birds.
These birds put a surprising value on their gaudy appearance
even at the risk of catching a predator's eye.
But there may well be sense
in a female's choice of flashy plumage.
Complex patterns can be easily damaged.
So peacocks with perfect plumage
are probably in better condition than most.
Peahens are known to lay more eggs
for peacocks with splendidly symmetrical tails.
There can also be a hidden message
behind a male's showy colors.
Sometimes bright colors hint at a good diet.
Male house finches are colored red
by chemicals in the fruit and seeds they eat.
This female wants a male that's good at finding food.
Red feathers suggest just that
while pale feathers could be due to poor foraging.
Bright males are advertising their feeding skills.
They're the ones that she'll prefer as a partner.
In the weeks to come, the bright males that are good providers
will make good fathers.
But that's not the whole story.
By choosing a bright male
the female is also choosing a healthy partner.
Bright males have very few fleas and lice among their feathers.
Duller males often have more
which might infest the nest and chicks.
The bright males are the best choice.
They're well fed and parasite-free--
literally flushed with health.
Across the bird world
females carefully choose the best males they can find.
But for some females, the search doesn't end
even when they've found a mate.
Blue-footed boobies live in densely packed colonies.
Eachthese birds appears to remain faithful
to one partner for life
but "love thy neighbor" is closer to the truth.
The female has a partner she can depend on to feed her chicks.
But when he's away she's not averse to a new romance.
Now the female is home alone.
Male neighbors are eager to step in.
While her mate's away, she's free to play the field.
For her, infidelity makes sense.
She already has a committed partner
but he may not have the best genes.
Another male, like this one, might have more to offer.
She obviously likes the look of him.
And he responds.
A brief courtship heads towards an inevitable end.
Like all males
he's just trying to spread his genes far and wide.
And the real bonus of this affair is
that he won't have to bring up the chicks.
Meanwhile her regular partner goes on fishing
in blissful ignorance.
But on his return, he soon reclaims his partner.
It's to his advantage to do so.
In a world full of infidelity
his repeated mating will keep his sperm
in the race to fertilize her eggs.
Such competition often breeds dirty tricks
and to further his own cause
a male can use all manner of cunning ploys.
Cherry blossom time in Japan...
the mating season for many animals.
But these squirrels breed all year.
Their liaisons are extremely brief encounters
in which males use devious tactics to succeed.
Males are far from faithful.
They'll mate with any females
they can attract using special calls.
Alerted by the noise, other males join the chase.
But the commotion also draws unwelcome attention.
Seeing the kite, a male squirrel calls in alarm.
Other squirrels hearing this sit very still
especially those out in the open.
They wait for the danger to pass.
Safe once more, the squirrels relax
and their mating game can begin again.
There's another warning call...
and sure enough, the squirrels all freeze in their tracks.
All except one-- the squirrel that raised the alarm.
His call was a hoax.
While the other males freeze, he can go on mating.
His trick has bought him time...
until the others believe the danger has passed.
In the mountain meadows of Poland
lives a male creature that does more than cheat a few rivals.
He can excludeallhis rivals.
He's an Apollo butterfly.
Males appear before the females
ready to mate quickly when the time comes.
Down below, a female is about to emerge from this pupa.
She'll be mated only once
by a fast-acting male that can beat the competition.
As soon as she emerges
something about her, probably her scent
alerts males to her presence
and the race to find this virgin prize is on.
Even before her maiden flight, she's discovered by this male.
But how can he make sure
that he's the only mate she will ever have?
She receives his sperm; the mating is successful.
And now he fits her with the insect equivalent
of a chastity belt
to be certain that his will be the only winning genes.
He leaves, victorious.
No other male can mate with her
because he has sealed off all access
with an impenetrable spiked plug that has now set hard.
The female had little choice in this mating game
But sometimes, females have surprising influence
despite the physical power of males.
This harem of female elephant seals
has been won by a single male.
And it would seem that females have no choice in the matter.
But the females' discriminating tastes
will soon be revealed by a sly visitor to the harem.
Sneaking in from the sea
a young Casanova is looking for an opportunity.
He's intent on seduction.
But the females raise objection to his advances.
The beachmaster awakes.
He soon chases off the upstart bachelor.
Clearly, biggest is best...
but the sneak was really put back where he belongs
by the females' protests.
These females won't settle for second best.
The harem master is dominant
but not without a little help from those he seems to exploit.
These females are willing concubines.
Female lions, too, are willing subjects of powerful males.
Females do the hunting
but males are strong defenders...
from other lions.
When the males in a pride die
the females and cubs are left extremely vulnerable.
There are always rogue males on the prowl
ready to take control.
It is a harsh rule of this mating game
that an invading male will kill any cubs he finds.
The death of the cubs may seem brutal
but it was no senseless killing.
The new male makes sure that he won't be wasting his time
protecting cubs that aren't his own.
The female will soon bear his young
so he'll stick around to protect them
from other marauding males.
In doing so, he also protects the female's new investment.
This savage story shows that, despite their conflicts
males and females must co-operate.
They need each other to bring there genes together
in a vital combination--
a renewal of life.
All around us live the descendants
of a four-billion-year battle for survival.
At the heart of that battle lies sex.
Despite its cost and complexity
its effort and investment, its deception and guile
sex is here to stay.
New life is born every minute
equipped with the right genes from both parents
to survive in an ever-changing world.
The triumph of the mating game is a future for life.
纪录片之家 EToE字幕原创 www.jlpzj.com
生命充满美丽和戏剧性
而性则是它的原动力
世上所有的动物均是进化的赢家
四十亿年王朝的后代
基因中的繁殖欲望
促使生物不惜为性拼个你死我活
性的进化是
生命史的动力来源
这是一个战场 惟有最性感的才能胜利
自然界不少的血腥战役
皆因性而起
这份热情的由来昭然若揭
但为何这些痴男怨女甘愿为性大吃苦头？
真正的决定性因素并非性行为本身
而是繁衍后代，开枝散叶
性是生命通向未来之门
基因必须借性而代代相传
这些基因让雌雄两性
作出不凡举动
这趟追寻永生之旅
可能是生命最大的挑战
繁殖的战争产生诸多需求
两性付出的代价也不尽相同
雌性通常必须哺育后代
对雄性来讲，唯一的工作好像就是交配
如把性按下不表
持家的重任似乎可以由雌性独力担当
冒着生命危险去工作的往往也是雌性
狩猎是件危险的事情 猎物即使被抓到了，自己也可能遭到伤害
尽管如此
雌狮没有很多的时间来享用战利品
高大威猛的雄狮很快就来要求分享胜利果实
雌性似乎为了性
而遭受了不平等的对待
但她们的行为也是基因使然
雌性本能地为繁殖而做出某种牺牲
动物世界里
平等的法则自然有其一席之地
有时最终的牺牲
却是雄性做出的
这只雄红背蜘蛛找到雌蛛的巢穴
雌蛛会把雄蛛当成追求者
还是下一顿饭？
雄蛛的脚以特定的方式震动蛛网 藉以表明自己身份
雌蛛明白意思并呆着不动
雄蛛试探性地就位
错走一步，势将粉身碎骨
雄蛛的触肢
充满精液
他用触肢敲打雌蛛腹部
作为不凡性爱的序曲
雄蛛触肢刺入雌蛛体内开始射精
但此时他却做出奇特举动
他翻身将自己送入雌蛛口中
为性而舍身赴死
但这非无谓的牺牲
雌蛛进食的时候他仍然持续射精
精液越多，传承基因的后代也越多
从遗传学的角度来看其实很合理
他迟早得死，死得早一些
就可以换取下一代的生存优势
惊人的是，此类自杀策略
在交配游戏中并非罕见
在这条河流中
红鲑即将抵达生命的尽头
过去数周来
它们从大海逆流而上游了1600公里
在本能的驱使下来此交配
这是一趟死亡之旅
最终它们抵达自己当初孵化的沙砾河床
旅途使它们疲惫不堪 但它们仍有最后一项任务
那就是争取配偶
雄性争相抢夺
为鱼卵授精的机会
此举非同小可
赢家才可以繁衍并将基因传承下去
而输家终为进化的大潮淹没
每条鲑鱼都会死亡
但有些却能透过后代来延续生命
每颗鱼卵中都有生命的蓝图
即传承自父母的基因
在基因的支配下
圆圆的卵长成小鲑鱼
它拥有成功繁衍的基因世系
成功繁衍的秘密
也随着这些基因
代代相传
但携带这些基因的个体却只能生存数年而已
然而传承基因有更简单的方法
而且不须为性牺牲
这些海葵没有伴侣也能生殖
它们不需要性
海葵可以从中间分裂
变成两只一模一样的生物，它们叫做同本生物
虽然看起来很极端，但这种繁殖手段效率颇高
不必费时寻找伴侣，而且过程很快
才几个小时，一只海葵即可分裂
成能以相同方式繁衍的后代
两者基因完全相同
复制这种快速生殖的方法
也被更复杂的生物所采用
热带气旋离开后
一株植物在海上漂流
上面有个小小乘客：一只雌壁虎
植物漂流到一座偏远的岛屿
这里是安全的避风港，但岛上没有它的同伴
所以它不可能找到配偶
但这个小家伙可非寻常流浪者
孤独对它来说可不是问题，反而是一个机会
它已经准备好了自我繁殖
一旦进入岛上阴凉之处
它就迫不及待地开始建立自己的殖民地
它产下卵，但不必依赖雄壁虎来授精
胚胎个个跟母体一样
完美的克隆
几周后小壁虎孵化了
都是雌性
统统不需交配就能产卵
没多久岛上就能爬满壁虎
源于同一个母亲
这个物种没有雄性
无性繁殖适用于偏远岛屿
但在其他地方，这种方式却十分危险
如掠食动物与疾病猖獗之地
澳洲内陆
克隆壁虎求生十分艰难
他们必须时时注意危险
巨蜥是要避开的动物之一
但有些危险却难以逃避
这只壁虎眼睛周围的 小寄生虱在吸它的血
无形的疾病也可能要了他的命
如果一只壁虎生病，整个复制族群就有危险
跟岛上的亲戚一样 这些壁虎也快速繁殖
只只生出无数的雌性后代
但在这里，克隆有利亦有弊
寄生虫若找出某只壁虎的弱点
就可以感染所有的壁虎
此时族群消失的速度可能比增加的速度还快
然而除了克隆 有些雌壁虎还是选择跟雄壁虎交配繁衍
这个过程得花两倍的时间
因为雄壁虎无法产卵
但是有性繁殖有个显著的好处
它可以混合基因，创造独一无二的后代
而后代各有一套对抗
感染的独特防御手段
寄生虫难以渗透这个族群
壁虎用性来交换基因
取得更强的求生本领
此关键优势说明了性为何如此普及
然而性的优势
或许不仅仅是交换基因
性还能让基因重生
靠性融合的两套基因
各有缺陷
因为基因偶尔会受损
用伴侣的好基因
加以补足
性持续修补改善基因
下一代自然比上一代强
在二十亿年的性史中
基因的融合屡见不鲜
因而出现新组合
正是进化的动力来源
现今地球上形形色色的生物
都是性演化的直接结果
有性生殖非得交换基因不可
交配游戏的挑战是找到最好的基因
信天翁是这样做的
在海上单独度过数个月后
此时受到性欲驱使
这场仪式舞蹈一跳就是好几小时
别以为这是轻薄的挑逗
这是他们择偶的方式
为未来投资
雌信天翁体内已经
有一颗很大的卵
那是对下一代稀有而珍贵的奉献
雄信天翁则制造数百万个精子
他靠这些廉价的小家伙散播自己的基因
大小差别是性演化的关键
二十亿年前性刚出现时
其实非常简单
细胞撞在一起
并交换基因
对住在海里的普通细胞而言
这可不是一件容易的事情
小巧灵活的细胞比较容易找到对象
储满能量的肥大细胞
则比较容易被发现
结合两者的长处
这些不搭调的伴侣比其他更快配对成功
不久海里都是专攻性的细胞
大型卵子和小型精子成了固定的模式
如今精卵尺寸
已有惊人的差异
这只雌鹬驼的外表
跟雄鹬驼没什么两样
但她体内
有一颗巨大的卵
她一生只产几颗卵
然而每次交配雄鹬驼
都射出几百万个精子
足以让世界上每只雌鹬驼受精
量对质
雄对雌
两性在这场游戏中各执一方
有些奇特生物却可以两边通吃
澳洲大堡礁
有部分动物是雌雄同体
这些扁虫制造精子与卵子
但他们无法自体受精
仍然需要融入新的基因
所以他们也得寻找伴侣，和其他生物无异
只不过在相会时
他们得先决定谁扮雄性谁扮雌性
他们有一套自己的游戏规则
谁都想扮演雄性
他们用鱼叉状的阴茎互刺对方
试图刺穿对方的皮肤
这场游戏的规则很简单
谁先刺穿对方的皮肤就赢了
这些扁虫甚至有两根阴茎
除了战力加倍
还能射出
更多的精子
小小精子多用也无妨
珍贵的大型卵子则留在体内
有战争必有输家
但输家也会有便宜可占
使卵受精的精子带有赢家的基因
那是留给下一代的资产
雄性散播基因
廉价而轻松
但有时碰到雌性并非易事
委内瑞拉的辽阔沼泽迷宫
就是这样一个地方
这里，所有的动物都得提防
一种危险的雌性掠食动物
她就是森蚺，沼泽中最大的掠食动物
她可以轻松吃下凯门鳄
或水豚
她身长18英尺
体重两百多磅
雌森蚺体型越大，产卵就越多
他成熟丰润的躯体就像是指引雄森蚺的灯塔
她根本不需要主动去寻找雄性
雄性，体重只有雌性的1/5，
但和他携带的精子相似，他圆滑灵敏
有能力完成寻找雌森蚺的重要任务
终于找到了
但他可不是第一个找到的
已有八只雄森蚺缠绕着她
有时这一绕就是一个多月
雄森蚺有一对交配刺
作用是刺激雌森蚺
每只雄森蚺都想成为
这场战争的赢家
随着动作的加快，战争更趋明显
体形庞大的雌森蚺看似被动
但她的任务仅仅是吸引雄森蚺而已
当雄森蚺抢得头破血流之际
她必须保持体力，完成产卵的任务
但并非所有的雌性都这样无精打采
目光锐利的
雌海鬣蜥在寻找配偶
她们是看地盘选择对象
较大的雄海鬣蜥为争夺最佳地点而大打出手
在赢家出炉之前
雌性关心的是进食而非交配
退潮时最适合啃食海草
雌海鬣蜥统统跑到岸边
然而雄海鬣蜥却得饿着肚子
为性而战
分出胜败优劣的血腥战争
是雌海鬣蜥选择强壮配偶的重要参考
但现在她们正忙着饕餮新鲜海草
体内的卵得靠进食补充养分
再辛苦也要吃到
这边岩石上雄性的战争
在烈日下继续进行
赢家才能站在最显眼的地方
等待雌性归来
雌海鬣蜥回到海滩上
体型较小，打架没有 胜算的雄性在旁虎视眈眈
他们的策略是：偷香窃玉
但这只雌海鬣蜥要的是经过战争考验的雄性
她继续向岩石方向前进
打赢的雄海鬣蜥前来迎接 雌海鬣蜥进入他的地盘
他嗅嗅雌性确定是否可以交配
接受他的基因
但他不能霸王硬上
雄海鬣蜥还是得被雌性接纳
但有些雌性动物一次只能碰到一只雄性
那怎样择优录取呢？
俄亥俄州的森林里面有一个出人意料的答案
春天时狼蛛开始寻找配偶
雌蛛躲着，避开掠食者
但她留下蛛丝引导雄蛛
雄蛛发现蛛丝并察觉未来配偶的存在
雌蛛察觉到雄蛛的敲打讯号
接着看到他挥动的脚
但雌蛛为何对这只情有独钟呢？
他有某个地方特别吸引雌蛛
是他前脚上长长的刚毛
但这几撮毛似乎无甚大用
雄蛛挥手致意
是他毛茸茸的脚
吸引雌蛛的目光吗？
为了追根究底，我们以录像带来分析
这些蜘蛛的观察习惯
迷你但是屏幕播放实际大小的求偶雄蛛给雌性看
但这只雄蛛脚上
没有刚毛
雌蛛也兴趣缺缺
但当她看见有正常脚毛的雄蛛
她就表现出兴趣来
雄蛛的脚毛越浓密
雌蛛越兴奋
雌蛛觉得脚毛性感
他们的儿女也是如此
毛毛脚是跟定这种蜘蛛了
雄性间的求偶斗争已经达到了
争奇斗艳的地步
其中尤以鸟类为最
鸟类为了这些华而不实的外观费尽心思
甚至不惜冒引起掠食者注意的险
但是雌性对这些华丽羽毛的偏爱
有其充分的理由
复杂的图案更容易被损坏
所以拥有漂亮外表的孔雀
预示着更好的身体条件
我们知道雌孔雀
会为拥有漂亮尾巴的雄孔雀产下更多的卵
雄性华丽的外表下
或许隐藏着某种秘密
有时华丽的颜色意味着良好的饮食
雄家雀因为所吃水果和种子
里面的化学物质而呈鲜红色
这只雌雀希望寻找一个善于觅食的雄性
红色的羽毛暗示着它比暗色羽毛的
雄性能寻找到更多的食物，对付严酷的环境
鲜艳的雄性是他们觅食技巧的活广告
他们就是雌性理想的伴侣
外表鲜艳的雄性必然是
养家糊口的好父亲
但这并非全部
选择了外表华丽的雄性
也意味着雌性选择了健康的伴侣
华丽的雄性羽毛里较少虱子和跳蚤
暗色外表的通常携带很多
这将感染巢穴和幼鸟
华丽的雄性就是最佳的选择
这些就是不愁吃喝
没有寄生虫困扰，精力充沛的雄性
鸟类世界中
雌性费尽心思寻找并选择最优秀的雄性
然而有些却
不甘于从一而终
蓝脚鲣鸟生活在拥挤的群落里
他们终生
不换配偶
但那可不代表没有红杏出墙这回事
每只雌鸟都有固定伴侣帮忙哺育幼鸟
不过伴侣若是不在 雌鸟也不排斥新的艳遇
看见雌鸟独守空巢
雄性的邻居蠢蠢欲动
配偶不在，雌鸟也乐得谈情说爱一番
对雌性来讲，出轨也有其道理
她已经有了忠诚的伴侣
但对方不见得有最好的基因
其他雄鸟说不定会更优秀
她显然为他的英俊外貌所吸引
他也作出回应
短暂的求爱后，该来的来了
跟所有的雄鸟一样
这只也是在尽力散播基因
这起外遇真正的好处
是他不必抚养幼鸟
此时雌鸟的固定伴侣还浑然不知地
在外捕鱼
但回来后雄鸟再度夺回伴侣
这么做对他有益
在这个没有所谓“贞节”的世界里
交配次数越多
精子使卵子受精的机会也越大
激烈竞争不免出现下流招数
为了达成目的
雄性无所不用其极
在日本樱花盛开的季节
也是许多动物交配的季节
但这种松鼠却是全年不间断繁殖
他们的艳遇只是短暂的遭遇战
雄性采用迂回战术达到目的
雄性非常地花心
他们可以和任何被他们特殊的叫声所吸引的
雌性交配
听到叫声，其他的雄性也加入这场游戏
但这些骚动也会招致不受欢迎的关注
看到鸢，一只雄松鼠发出警报
其他松树听到警报立刻静止不动
尤其那些没有隐蔽的松鼠
等待危险过去
又安全了，总算松了一口气
交配游戏又开始了
又有警报响起...
所有的松树立刻静止不动
但有一只例外---发出警报的家伙
这是一场骗局
其他雄性静止不动的时候 它可以继续交配
他的诡计为他赢得了时间
直到其他松树确信危险已经过去
在波兰的山间草原
有一种雄性可不只是欺骗对手
它可以将所有对手排斥在外
他是阿波罗绢蝶
雄蝶比雌蝶早出现
准备在时机成熟时迅速交配
下方有只雌蝶即将破茧而出
她只能交配一次
雄性动作要快才能赢过对手
雌蝶刚一出茧
雄蝶可能是嗅到气味
马上察觉了她的存在
迅速寻找她的芳踪
雌蝶还没有展开处女航 雄蝶就找到了她
但雄蝶如何确保雌蝶
只和他交配？
她接受了爱的礼物，交配成功
现在他给雌蝶套上
昆虫版的贞操带
确保雌蝶体内只有他的基因
接着他才得意洋洋地扬长而去
其他的雄蝶无法跟这只雌蝶交配
因为雌蝶的性器官
已被凝固的地有刺塞子封住
这场交配游戏里，雌性无从选择
但雌性的影响力有时却是出乎意料地大
尽管雄性的身体力量很强大
这群雌象鼻海豹
全归一只雄性所有
雌性看起来毫无选择
不过她们挑剔的品味
很快就因访客的到来而显露无遗
一个好色之徒从海里
溜进来寻找机会
他是铁了心要色诱后宫佳丽
但这些佳人并不领情
这场骚动吵醒了佳丽们的老大
很快把这个不知趣的光棍汉赶走
很显然，体型越大越有利.
然而却是雌象鼻海豹的抗议才导致
了不速之客的被驱逐出境
雌象鼻海豹只接受最好的
象鼻海豹老大统御后宫
这都多亏忠心耿耿的佳丽
这些雌性都心甘做妾
雌狮也对强壮的雄狮心悦诚服
雌狮负责狩猎
雄狮则防御其它
狮子的攻击
狮群的雄狮若是死亡
雌狮和幼狮将无依无靠
落单的雄狮
时刻伺机而动
这是交配游戏残酷的规则
入侵的雄狮会杀死所有幼狮
幼狮的死看似残忍
但这并非无谓的杀戮
新老大这么做是不想浪费时间
保护其他雄狮的后代
雌狮很快就会怀上他的孩子
他会替他们抵挡其它
虎视眈眈的雄狮
这也等于保护了雌狮的新家庭
这个残酷的事件说明，尽管冲突不断
雌雄两性仍需合作
融合双方基因
形成重要组合-
以维持更新生命
我们的周围存在着
四十亿年生存战的后代
这场战争的核心是性
尽管代价不菲且磨难重重
有努力与投入，欺骗与诡计
性仍屹立不倒
时时刻刻都有新的生命诞生
准备发挥双亲基因的绝妙组合
在这瞬息万变的世界求生
交配游戏的胜利就是生命的未来
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