Sexo en la Tierra: Un homenaje a la reproducción animal

by Jules Howard

• Los bonobos hacen el amor y no la guerra: para no discutir juegan a esgrima con sus miembros.

• Las iguanas se masturban justo antes de aparearse para que el acto dure menos en los entornos peligrosos.

• Hay animales que llevan 40 millones de años sin sexo.

• Algunas luciérnagas macho prefieren aparearse con farolas.

• Los bracitos del Tyrannosaurus rex servían para sujetarse durante la cópula.

• Las vaginas de los patos azulones hembra tienen trampas para controlar la efusividad de los machos.

• Si Buscando a Nemo estuviera basada en hechos reales,el protagonista habría nacido hermafrodita, habría crecido como macho y habría llegado a practicar sexo con su padre.



Todo esto, aunque parezca mentira, es cierto. Y también bonito. Como dice Jules Howard: «El sexo nos hace especiales. Es la clave del pasado de la vida. Y es también la clave de nuestro futuro». Por todo ello es importante aprender de él, de cómo y de por qué los animales (incluidos nosotros) lo necesitamos. Para sobrevivir y para vivir y entender la vida plenamente. Sexo en la Tierra nos explica, más allá de interesantísimas curiosidades, todo lo que quisimos saber sobre el sexo (animal). Y lo hace con la mirada empática, reflexiva, graciosa y tierna del buen zoólogo, del escritor lúcidoy de la persona curiosa.



«Un estudio admirable sobre cómo la intimidad de la naturaleza puede iluminar nuestra vida». National Geographic

«Jules Howard es el Bill Bryson de la divulgación natural. Fascinante». Booklist

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, Popular Science, Biology, Natural History

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ridwan Anam · Rating 2 out of 5]

ফালতু, অগোছালো, বিরক্তিকর। প্রকৃতিবিদ হিসাবে দেখা এবং লেখার কোন যোগ্যতা এই লেখকের নাই। দুই একটা অধ্যায় (হাঁস, ব্যাঙ) পড়ার মতো হলেও বাকি অধ্যায়গুলো চরম একঘেয়ে, গতানুগতিক, সবার জানা অতি সাধারণ তথ্য দিয়ে ঠাসা।

[Héctor Otero · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and funny read 😊. I've never been the biggest fan of biology as a subject of study but Jules Howard has managed to spur my interest like no other. I really recommend this book to anyone even remotely curious about the sexual behaviours of animals (how, when, why and many more). I also think that it's a great step towards normalising the talk about sex in animals, and that includes us humans.

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

El autor visita a autoridades científicas en el campo de la sexualidad animal y analiza estudios de la temática para ofrecernos curiosas historias sobre la biología y el comportamiento sexual de diversos animales.

Pingüinos, arañas, bonobos, patos... son sólo algunos animales que ocupan las páginas, donde nos asomamos a su no tan íntima vida en pareja. Es un libro que se asemeja a un documental narrado en vivo, repleto de curiosidades tanto sobre los genitales como la conducta sexual de muchos seres vivos, además de hablar de evolución y de conservación de la biodiversidad. Cada capítulo plantea una temática en forma de un animal protagonista, aunque a veces se ramifican los ejemplos. En muchos capítulos también hay una reflexión profunda sobre nuestro papel que deja un buen regusto. Gran narrador, por cierto.

Como aspectos a mejorar, se echan en falta ilustraciones que aclaren algunos conceptos más complicados. Y sobre todo, una línea más o menos definida a lo largo del libro.

Aunque no profundizarán mucho en biología, se divertirán y se sorprenderán.

[Jack Birch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book about rutting ducks I have ever read - and that's saying something!

Jules Howard's writing style is friendly, funny and naturally inquisitive. It's personable enough for the layman to read and enjoy. Sex on Earth will arm you with a huge number of pub facts - though you may get a few strange looks as you explain why glowworms try to mate with lampposts.

[Janday · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope.

I came here for the science of animal mating, not for a duck gang-bang and horse masturbation. This book should have been called "Jules Howard Makes Bad Decisions."

Abandoned. Did not finish.

Nope.

[Kelly Bates · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic, badly written. Too much British English slang that I didn't understand. Really wanted to like it so was disappointed.

[María Yuste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi reseña del libro para PlayGround: http://www.playgroundmag.net/noticias...

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Animal sex books can be a bit like pornography- all big breasts and whopping great penises. It's easy to get numbed to it all after a few pages. Loc74

And thus began my journey through Sex on Earth with Jules Howard.

I tend to rate non-fiction more severely than their fictional counterparts, however, Jules Howard is tough to dislike. Now there were no glaring issues with this book, I'm simply saying that if there perhaps were I'd still come away happy because Howard is simply brimming with personality. Jules Howard is good-natured with a lot of charm and quite frankly I find him hilarious. Hilarious AND informative, let us not forget all of the things I will never be able to forget about the world around us. I will never, ever see Adelie Penguins or mallards the same again, nor will I be able to get certain mite sexual practices out of my mind. Oh the array of sexual behaviors we find in the world, from interesting to so similar to us it appears boring compared to others to the downright disturbing. I think the disturbing will stick with me the most.

But whether Howard was discussing mites, mallards, bdelloid rotifers or frogs and so on, his enthusiasm shines through in everything. I myself am enthusiastic towards nature in a similar way so I could not help but be won over, however, I think anyone interested in the world around them would also enjoy this journey.

I walked away from Sex on Earth with a bit more knowledge, a number of laughs and an author to read in the future.

Here are some of my favorite quotes, with some of my own sidebar. Honestly I think I could easily quote half of the book but I will refrain (mostly).

The 'scientific' illustrator seems to have given the male tyrannosaur a malevolent grin - a mildly psychotic smile is on his face, bordering on the rabid and dancing with deviance. His head is bent over hers, and he's staring demoniacally into her eyes as he thrusts. It makes me ever so slightly uncomfortable. I wasn't aware that dinosaurs could be misogynistic. Loc135

...fossil of a Lambeosaurus that shows the head crest in enough detail to determine its acoustic properties. How many of these ancient dinosaurs were singers like their descendants, the birds? Perhaps many of them. Loc336

I do not think I have ever thought of a dinosaur sounding actually like a bird before...I hope they weren't like giant Big Birds...that would just be somehow sad.

We live at an extraordinary moment in time. Of all the moments at which you could have been born, you appeared at the exact beginning of the end for the amphibians. You have been born into a class war: one class, the Mammalia, is up against another, the Amphibia. Or put even more simply, one species, Homo sapiens, is up against a whole legion of amphibious artisans. And unfortunately, we're winning. Loc638

Howard clearly has a love for amphibians and shares much about their kind throughout the book. He doesn't touch upon much of the specific issues facing amphibians, as it is a book about sex, but I felt he made it clear enough and amphibians interesting enough that one reading the book would look into helping amphibians. Though I did not need the push, I did greatly appreciate his enthusiasm.

But despite his enthusiasm for amphibians, Howard had never seen the literal sexual act of frogs. So he wrote:

I realised this had to change. I penned it in big letters on my white-board “JULES MUST SEE FROG SEX“ before circling it twice. Loc652

Amphibians are nothing if not diverse. There are some freshwater habitats, next to raging streams and rivers, for instance, which are too damn loud for a colloquial 'QUI!' or 'CO!' to be heard. So in places like these, some frogs have hit upon a wonderful behaviour: they simply wave at one another. A little wave from one side of the stream to a female on the other. “Hey .. . you over there!” [Wave]. “Hey .. . Hi!” [Wave]. “YEAH . . . HI!” [Wave]. If aliens ever choose to visit Earth, I sometimes wonder whether something like this, rather than the seeming majesty of us primates, will pique their interest (“YES, CALL HOME. THERE ARE WAVING FROGS ON THIS PLANET . . . YES, THEY WAVE”). Loc689

Favorite Chapter title: The Cloaca Monologues Loc839

A female duck's reproductive tract is anything but a nice little hole for an exploding pseudopenis to fit into. It is corkscrew-shaped, much like the male's anatomy, but here's the thing: it spirals in the other direction, making it almost absurdly non-compatible with exploding duck penises. Not only this, it also has out-pockets and dead-ends. It really is like an Inca temple. It is ridiculous. A masterpiece. Evolutionary art. Loc930

I decide instead to wander the grounds to see if I can spot any more sexual liaisons between ducks. You know, as you do . . . Loc955

Stud horses....further proof that the horse racing industry is fucked up

If she's ready, the stallion is then led around the teasing gate to the mare, who is by now being steadied by her handlers. The stallion, impressively, scrambles atop her and drapes his big muscular body over her back. Miraculously, and without anyone seeming to notice, he then grows a penis like a prize-winning vegetable. Not having hands, just hooves, makes this all look a bit clumsy, and it many ways it is. Horse penises appear to require a surprising amount of 'guidance' by human hands, which I wasn't expecting. Loc1310

During all of this, one man seems to have one job and one job only - to hold the base of the stallion's penis when it is in the mare's vagina. Sally informs me he is trying to feel for the tell-tale throbbing of ejaculation - without this there's no point. Loc1317

I do wonder how many people have jobs that involve such close contact with another species' penis. Those poor horses.

...only 1-5 per cent of human ejaculate is actually made of sperm cells - the rest is a cocktail of neurotransmitters, endorphins and immunosuppressants, all present solely to combat rival sperm, enhance female mood (through a hormone called serotonin), and even induce sleepiness (through another, melatonin). Incredibly, there's even evidence suggesting that women who have unprotected sex (and therefore have regular contact with semen) are less depressed, and less likely to commit suicide. Make of that what you will. Loc1402

What most concerns some people, though, is the rapidness of the increase in sea noise: in some places there may have been a hundred-fold increase in such noise since the 1960s alone. Mind-boggling, really. And worrying. Whales and dolphins could provide a useful model for research into such impacts, largely because their sounds are relatively easy to study, being as they are among the loudest noises any animal has ever made (reaching as much as 188 decibels in the blue whale; that's only a little less loud than strapping a grenade to your head and pulling the pin). These calls can travel more than 600 miles, Loc1821

After all, it's estimated that the use of artificial lights increases at a rate of 6 per cent globally each year. Loc1839

[Bonobos]Some have even been spotted 'penisfencing' while hanging from trees - simply for the thrill, one would imagine. Loc2012

...one kind of mite that lays a clutch of eggs, the first hatchling being the male and the rest - his sisters - the females. As the females hatch he wanders about inseminating each and every one of his siblings, before he promptly dies. Oh, and one more thing. This all happens inside the mother's body, which the now-impregnated baby daughters then devour from the inside out. The male has sex and dies before being born, essentially. Loc2324

Gah.

And why, ultimately, I have absolutely come to adore Jules Howard:

As I write these words it has been three weeks since I ran over that jackdaw, knocking it to the ground in front of its partner. It still fills me with an aching sadness that I'm embarrassed to admit, and which I occasionally relive. I have taken to talking about it with bird experts, and have been met with similar such stories, each bookended by bouts of ringing grief. Monogamy roadkill: there can be few things more heart-breaking on planet Earth. Loc3070

Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley & publisher in exchange for an honest review. (They may regret this.) Any and all quotes were taken from an advanced edition subject to change in the final edition.

[Rachel Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, but not as comprehensive as it could have been.

[Am Y · Rating 1 out of 5]

DISLIKES

1) The long-windedness and complete redundancy of some material, and the general direction of the content.
E.g. The author uses SIX pages in the beginning of one chapter to describe a short encounter with a pig on a farm he's visiting, that ends with the farm's dog humping the pig. This pig is never ever mentioned again, and instead it is the dog he talks about (the chapter is about why dogs hump things). I thought the pig's backstory was 100 times more interesting than "why dogs hump". Apparently the pig's mother had "sat" on her piglets shortly after birth, killing all of the pig's siblings. The surviving pig was rescued by the farm's owners and raised by them. I thought it would have been a thousand times more interesting to talk about or investigate why the pig's mother would have done something like that, or at least have some follow-up about the pig since the author spent so many pages talking about him, and suggesting that the pig had behavioural issues (we, for instance, could have learned if the behavioural issues might have had anything to do with why the pig's mother wanted her offspring dead in the first place - could they have been "defective"?! Or something along this line, if you know what I mean - lots of investigative potential there!). But no, we never hear of the pig ever again. Instead, we start learning about dog humping. I felt like pulling my hair out reading this chapter.

2) How the author thinks he's being entertaining when he's NOT.
The tone of writing in the book is not of someone just matter-of-factly presenting info or findings (which I would have much rather preferred though), but of someone trying to dramatise and exaggerate events and turn them into stories, so that they seem more amusing, interesting, etc. I hated that. A lot of the text is completely redundant and disinteresting (I don't want to know what you had for breakfast, for instance - it has nothing to do with the topic at hand). The entire contents of this book could be reduced to about a quarter of its current length, if the author hadn't tried to inflate the chapters with so many of his irritating and redundant injections of perceived humour (no, it was not funny by the way) and other silly expressions/opinions. I found it a waste of time and cognitive space to have to process all these redundant bits of text along with facts, making the reading process highly unpleasant.

3) 90% of the content is really boring; it's just dressed up or dramatised to make it seem more interesting.
Some things we learn about (aside from the dog humping mentioned in point #1) are how frogs and pandas mate. If I'd just written down the facts alone, this process would seem mundane and disinteresting - it's just nature doing what nature intended! There's nothing special or amusing or funny or interesting about it. But the author tries to make it seem like it is. Why not just give readers the facts, without the personal input, so they can decide for themselves?

LIKES

1) At least I learned one thing. And that one thing was darned interesting.
Yes, out of a book comprising hundreds of pages, I learned just one thing new. And that concerns rotifers. And I will save you the trouble of reading this entire book of mainly hot air, by summarising that chapter on rotifers here:

Rotifers are true asexual beings. Unlike some creatures like lizards, which can clone themselves asexually in the absence of suitable mates, so as to ensure their continued survival, rotifers do not choose asexuality as a "last resort" - they choose asexuality because there truly is no need for them to have sex in order to survive. So how do they deal with dynamic challenges throughout their history of survival? It turns out that they can in fact change bits of their DNA through their diet (!!!), and they can outlive and outsurvive any predators and parasites, so in the first place, there is not much need to change. They are already a pretty successful living entity the way they are now.

At least, the above paragraph is what I understood after reading the chapter on rotifers.

I found this chapter to be really interesting and wanted to find out more, unfortunately the author had moved on in the next chapter to talk about some other creature and its boring reproductive methods, trying as usual to make it seem fascinating.

Imagine Steve Irwin trying to get you interested in a crocodile, saying, "Look at it! What a beauty! Isn't it amazing?!" and all you see is... just another crocodile.

[Rachel Wexelbaum · Rating 2 out of 5]

How a book focused on animal sex could be so dull I have no idea. No mention of gay penguins or horny dogs who are happy to hump people or inanimate objects if they have no access to other dogs. No mention of bonobos. The author carried Victorian prudery right into the 21st century, even though he criticized it often. Also, surprisingly, it seemed like none of the animals (females in particular) enjoyed the sex that he wrote about. He should have cowritten this book with someone who is a master of engaging carnal narrative--we do not live on facts alone.

[Julia Hendon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a well-written and amusing entry in the genre of look, isn't nature wonderful by a British zoologist. His chapters lead us through the many and different ways that sexual relations and reproduction occur in various corners of the animal kingdom. While I admire the author's ability to combine personal anecdote and scientific research, I was left wondering what exactly was the point of the book beyond the oh gee, the world is wonderful message. Just not my cup of tea.

[Perla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un maravilloso sneak peek a la vida sexual de algunas especies animales. El libro está compuesto por investigaciones formales, observaciones informales y un montón de relatos divertidos sobre la manera en que estas especies tienen sexo.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jules Howard is a British naturalist and journalist. He brings these skills together in writing book (for lay people) about sexual reproduction. Howard is English but sex is pretty much the same in Great Britain as it is in the United States. Before shelving this book with sex manuals instructing the reader on what goes where, the careful cataloguer assigns a Dewey decimal code of 573.6. 500 is natural sciences and mathematics, 570 is life sciences and biology, 573 is physiological systems in animals and 573.6 is reproductory systems. That's where the public library in Tenafly, New Jersey, put it. Perhaps it did not circulate well because that same library removed and discarded it, so that I could buy it, read it and add it to my shelves. I now know so much about how critters reproduce; panda bears, dinosaurs, peacocks, penguins, sticklebacks, frogs, giant salamanders, ducks, dragonflies, racehorses, bdelloid rotifers, pigs, iguanas, bonobos, flamingos, slugs, mites, hedgehogs, water voles, fen raft spiders, jackdaws, and Australian sleepy lizards. I also learned that "todger" is English slang for penis. No wonder they pulled this book out of the public library in Tenafly, New Jersey.

[Ryan Fohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate that this is written by a scientist. He is comfortable with pointing to the limits of our knowledge, instead of just offering sensational theories. The tone is conversational, humorous, and a little fluffy. This book is exceedingly British. Apparently the British get very excited about lightning bugs or “glow worms” as they say. This book gets at larger questions than just penis size, but there are lots of crazy animal sex examples throughout. I appreciated the Hugh Grant joke.

What I learned: Blood worms can bite! The dik-dik is adorable and monogamous. Sperm whale lice are not considered threaten or endangered, although their only know habitat, the sperm whale, is endangered. Those crazy iguanas, that Darwin trapped and tossed in the water, practice edging. Using frozen sperm would ruin horse racing as a sport. Hedge hogs make a “carousel” in the grass while mating.

[Memoree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jules Howard writes in a comforting sort of way, like a friend of yours wrote a book. It's enjoyable reading his writing and there are some interesting bits in this book about animal sex. However, I found myself wanting more scientific nerdy bits. I really wanted to learn the nitty gritty of how different animals engage in sex and I only got that sometimes here. Some chapters were lacking in the science and just used as a base for Howard to discuss his views on the natural world. I expected some of that of course, but just not as much as what I got.

[Bayard Beling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish, stopped around page 70. Too annoying to read. While the topic is super interesting, there is too much fodder (irrelevant/uninteresting) text around each piece of good info. Also, the author tries too often to sound like a stand-up comedian. Some jokes could work on a gig, but in text they are just dull. I think this could be well written in less than 100 pages.
For an example of excellent texts talking about nature, check any of David Attenborough's books, which are packed with knowledge, and also well written.

[Melissa Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, factual and funny.

I can honestly say I’ve loved ever moment with this book (even some of the grislier parts). It’s a wonderful exploration of the wonderful world of sex throughout the animal kingdom and the larger question surrounding it.
If you are after a roller coaster of laughs and good science, look no further. Jules is a genius.

[Cristina R · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry. I don't normally give bad reviews and I have read my fair share of really badly written books. I picked it up thinking it will be a fun read but the author writes as he speaks. I thought I could do it and finish the book as the subject interests me as a student but I just can't.

[Benjamín Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro está escrito a modo de documental, habla sobre como diferentes estragias de aninales han servido para la preservación de las especies.

Es un libro dinámico, entretenido y fácil de leer. Jules Howard realiza una excelente narración donde no te aburres en ningún momento.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will never enjoy Howard's self-indulgent writing style. With an editor, he could be an interesting purveyor of science anecdotes. Unrestrained, anything of import simply gets lost in the wittering mediocrity.

[Tatiana García Blanco · Rating 2 out of 5]

De lectura interesante y entretenida.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by a vet friend. Funny and informative, very eye opening on occasion. Not my usual style of book. Enjoyed it for what it was - easier to read than expected.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly too much author! Though I, too, have jackdaws in my chimney - not a euphemism! 😂

[Dennis Mitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sex on Earth is a fun romp through the animal kingdom that is hard to put down. Accurate but not academic, Howard surveys the animal kingdom for what is weird, wild, and, ultimately, normal. You’ll come away with a renewed sense that whatever your sex life looks like it’s pretty darned boring.

He includes most of the standbys. Things like shovel-shaped appendages that male dragonflies use to clean out sperm deposited in females from previous matings. Or rape-like duck coitus where females reshape their vaginas to accept particular sperm (from males with the brightest beaks). But there’s lots to learn here even for an old biologist: I didn’t know that some reptile species perform a kind of pre-coital masturbation to speed things up. Seems that they don’t like taking their time on the sidewalk doing it while hungry hawks scan the ground from overhead.

I like that he explores the entire animal kingdom – hence the name – from sex crazed protozoa to whale penis bones. I like, too, that aside from simple voyeurism, Howard delves deeper into reproduction and seeks out evolutionary explanations for all manner of acts and behaviors.

Howard writes well and the book is an easy read. There is plenty here to keep biologists interested but the popular press is the real audience. I would have died for this book when I was fourteen. Well recommended.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I liked the style of this non-fiction look at sex in the animal kingdom, as the author talks us through his travels meeting experts and observing species in his quest to learn more about sex in nature.

The content itself is amazing, eye-opening stuff (I've now got 'exploding duck p£nis' in my YouTube history), and makes you appreciate what an incredible thing nature is, the myriad ways reproduction happens, just how evolution has given or taken power from females and males and allowed the strongest individuals the best chance at mating. Great tales from the natural world.

I just wasn't sure I liked the sections where the author talks us through his day trips to see it all happening. Seemed to slow it down, when what I wanted was more of the good stuff, i.e. the animal sex! Might just be me though, as he is a funny writer, with a good turn of phrase, I'll give him that, most definitely. And he writes a pithy and amusing chapter heading as well. Jurassic Pork had me guffawing into my cup.

Made me think about what our own species has done to others on the planet, such as the panda.

If you like a quirky book exploring the natural world, you'll probably find this a quick and enjoyable read.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not easy to write about sex. Especially animal sex. So I give Howard respect for not making his journey on the topic to dry and scientific in order to avoid awkwardness. But I also appreciate that he wasn't crass or vulgar. Just enough humor and science to make readers feel less awkward but also smarter to seeing the science behind animal procreation.

[Victor · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a topic such as sexuality in the animal world, which could have been amusing at the same time that instructive, the author prefers instead to write in a very boring style. If you want to read a book on the topic, I strongly recommend instead: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... , much more entertaining and instructive (AFAIK not English translation is available for now).

[Brittany | BrittanyIsBooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not always interested in nonfiction but this book is great. It looks at sex in the animal kingdom in so many lights. There are also some humorous anecdotes that lighten the tone and keep you imterested. Overall, a good read.

[Deb Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining. Informative. Hilarious in parts. Genuinely enjoyed reading this book. A fascinating tour of the ways in which Earth's creatures manage to remain here, despite themselves.