[STAFF: feel free to move this to SB, which is where I was originally going to put it, but it seemed like it could spark more serious discussion...I don't know.]
I was looking through this huge animal book I got awhile ago, full of pics and info on all kinds of animals across the globe (and WOW there are some weird ass creatures out there o_o).
I came across the Grey Foam-Nest Treefrog, which has a very strange way of mating.
This species deposits fertilized eggs as a foam nest. The female may begin building the foam nest, stop, climb down from her perch, and rehydrate in the pool below. At this point the male usually releases her. She then climbs back up and continues building the foam nest. She may repeat this two to four times. The male that originally was on her back may not be the one that is on her back when she releases 500–1,200 eggs into the foam nest. The female may return to the nest the following night and add more foam but not more eggs to the nest to keep it from dehydrating. Communal nests result from up to 20 females and twice as many males building nests close enough together so that they coalesce. Sperm competition is thought to occur in this species (as in many foam-nesting treefrogs with multiple males spawning with one female). This is further confirmed by the presence of large testes in the males that allows them to produce and shed sperm multiple times throughout the breeding season. After four to six days the developing larvae drop from the nest into the water below.
[taken from http://www.answers.com/topic/gray-treefrog]
Spoiler for image:
this reminded me of some human behaviour...I mean, I've heard of crazy orgies in like, foam pits. I have no source, but I'm sure people have done/do this stuff. e_e;
anyway, at the same time it made me think of christians calling this and that "unnatural," as if we're supposed to do only that which is "natural." this whole argument holds absolutely no water.
for one example, (from what I understand) catholics are very anti-contraception. I read in a book (don't remember which), one catholic's argument was, seriously, "it's unnatural to use condoms, you don't see animals wearing them."
come on. really?
ok, setting aside the fact that homosexual behaviour is well documented in at least 500 species [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosex...ior_in_animals], are we supposed to do everything that animals do? you know, to be sure we aren't doing anything "unnatural?"
animals cannot read or write. so, I guess we should stop reading books, including the bible.
animals do not wear clothes. so, I guess we should all go around naked.
animals do not drive cars, watch television, dye their hair, wear makeup or jewelry, use the internet, go to church, talk on the phone, perform life saving surgeries with hi-tech equipment and medicines...guess we shouldn't do any of that stuff either.
oh, one last thing...animals have big sex orgies in foam pits :)
