It's Alive Animals

Sneaky little giraffe weevils beat big rivals

A little stealth helps smaller males compete with big ones to mate with a female

giraffe weevils

STEATH MOVE  Big male giraffe weevils (top) can lose out to smaller males (middle) that sneak underneath to mate with females (bottom). Dots of paint help researchers identify individual weevils.

Courtesy of C. Painting/Univ. of Auckland

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

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You might think a male giraffe weevil, or a male anything for that matter, would object to a rival creeping between his legs when he’s mating.