Page 88 - One Million Things: Animal Life - The Incredible Visual Guide

5
MALE AND FEMALE

All animals reproduce to create new generations of 5 BIRDWING BUTTERFLIES
offspring that will replace them when they die. In many Female green Named for their large size and birdlike
birdwing butterfly
species, reproduction involves males and females meeting flying, many birdwing butterflies show
differences between males and females.
so that mating can take place. Males and females may look Inflatable
very similar or, as in the examples shown here, they may throat pouch Spotting a vividly colored male green
birdwing in an Australasian tropical
differ in size and color. In these species, forest would be easier than seeing
such differences are important a female, which is larger but has a
1
in attracting mates. duller, brown coloration.

6 GIBBONS
1 GREAT FRIGATE BIRDS Crested black gibbons are found in
These large seabirds spend most of the tropical forests of southeast Asia.
their lives over the ocean, snatching They start life with pale fur, then turn
prey from the water’s surface or stealing black. The males remain black, but the
from other birds. During the breeding females become light again.
season they gather on oceanic islands
where each male inflates his distinctive
red throat pouch to attract a female.

2 PROBOSCIS MONKEYS
In many primates, including
Borneo’s proboscis monkeys, 2
males are bigger than females.
A male proboscis monkey
also has a large, pendulous
nose that attracts females. The
huge nose amplifies the honking
noises he makes to warn other
males to stay away from his females
and their young.

3 MAROON CLOWNFISH
Some fish, especially those that live on
coral reefs, change sex. The maroon
clownfish lives in groups of one female
and several males. If the female dies, one
of the males changes to a female and
takes over her role in breeding. Flame
angelfish live in groups of one male
and several females. If the male leaves,
a female becomes male to replace him.

4 PRAYING MANTIS
Mating can be a dangerous time for
male praying mantises. The females of
these predatory insects are larger than
their potential mates and have been Male praying
known to eat the males when mating is mantis mates
with a female
still in progress. When the male moves
3
onto the female’s back she may grab him
with her front legs and bite his head off.
Maroon clownfish Flame angelfish

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