Comments on: Penguin sex deemed too graphic for Edwardian scientific publications

By: Doug Lucchetti

Doug Lucchetti — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 15:22:00 +0000

Sex is, by definition, all about reproduction…everything else is just ‘messin’ around’. Our uptight attitudes about sex and messin’ around are exemplified by the victorian point of view which pervaded so much science at the time and in particular the science of Scott’s so-called ‘science’ expedition…in truth, it should have been called ‘a folly’…a tragic one at that. It’s become vogue lately to try to defend the scientific value of his group but really, it was incidental to his personal goal of aristocratic status by gaining national/ethnic/racial notoriety; British aristocratic superiority and all that rot.

By: DJBudSonic

DJBudSonic — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 14:36:00 +0000

They’ve got nothing on chickens. I have seen chickens doing things waaayy worse than this. Chickens are cannibalistic rapists. To wit: I was separating roosters from a young flock. I had three roosters, and two of them had distinguished themselves over the course of that month by separating their flock into two compatible groups, each of which would roam about doing their chicken thing all day, then return to the roosts.

So I had the three roosters in the yard, and we decided to ace the odd man out, and give it to a local veterinarian who keeps a few crocodiles out back. A single shot to the head, and the the rooster drops dead. It had barely hit the dirt when the two other roosters jumped upon it and proceeded to rape the corpse with such vigor that we had to drive them away with a stick. They don’t even do that to the hens. I am sure that if we had left the carcass this would have been repeated, until the flesh was exposed and they decided to eat it.

Have a nice day!

By: retepslluerb

retepslluerb — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 09:54:00 +0000

Did black squirrels live in the wild in Europe during Edwardian times?

By: sockdoll

sockdoll — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:27:00 +0000

the position taken up by the cock differing in no respect from that of ordinary copulation

OK… I confess that it took me a split second to realize that “cock” meant a male penguin in this scenario. Don’t tell me I’m the only one.

By: malindrome

malindrome — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 03:55:00 +0000

Now if only we could record Morgan Freeman reading the diary entries aloud …

By: TheBehinder

TheBehinder — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:21:00 +0000

I imagine these journal entries being read by Morgan Freeman for ‘March Of The Penguins 2 – Some Like It Dead’.

By: Frank Diekman

Frank Diekman — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:44:00 +0000

I imagine these journal entries being read in the voice of Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey. Punctuated, of course, by the occasional “Good God!”

By: bcsizemo

bcsizemo — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:40:00 +0000

S&M…so he was being rough with her nuts?

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:54:00 +0000

Try an ice bath and muscle relaxants the next time he gets amorous.

By: Sekino

Sekino — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:36:00 +0000

I was probably just unfortunate, whenever I saw some ludicrously violent, noisy and uncouth sex between black squirrels. Then again, they’re violent and noisy regardless of what they’re doing around here.

(and I admit I didn’t ask the female whether she agreed or not to the S&M ;) )

By: dr

dr — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:30:00 +0000

“Now what he [Saint Mael] had taken for men of small stature but of grave bearing were penguins whom the spring had gathered together, and who were ranged in couples on the natural steps of the rock, erect in the majesty of their large white bellies. From moment to moment they moved their winglets like arms, and uttered peaceful cries. They did not fear men, for they did not know them, and had never received any harm from them; and there was in the monk a certain gentleness that reassured the most timid animals and that pleased these penguins extremely. With a friendly curiosity they turned towards him their little round eyes lengthened in front by a white oval spot that gave something odd and human to their appearance.
Touched by their attention, the holy man taught them the Gospel. [...] The holy man, persuaded that they belonged to some idolatrous people and that in their own language they gave adherence to the Christian faith, invited them to receive baptism.[...]And thus for three days and three nights he baptized the birds.” (Anatole France, Penguin Island)

By: chenille

chenille — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:10:00 +0000

If by “doing it” you actually mean raping injured females and sodomizing corpses, as the article describes, my guess is probably not that often.

By: Randy Royal

Randy Royal — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:01:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/haleyhughes/4291775135/

By: sota767

sota767 — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:58:00 +0000

Move over bonobos…

By: angusm

angusm — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:48:00 +0000

“The horror … the horror … exterminate all the brutes …”

By: cjporkchop

cjporkchop — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:29:00 +0000

At least squirrels have good, proper mammalian genitalia, not those disgusting, immoral cloacas and such.

By: Palomino

Palomino — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:27:00 +0000

Sounds like a job for Isabella Rossellini.

I still have nightmares about being gang-raped by corkscrew shaped penises that get lost in a vaginal canal that would put any House of Mirrors to shame. http://youtu.be/EhwXVDi496E

By: MonkeyBoy

MonkeyBoy — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:25:00 +0000

Lovecraft (either in Mountains of Madness or Call of Cthulhu, I forget) has some penguins that his characters react to with “horror”. (In typical Lovecraft style he tells us that they are horrifying with out actually painting a picture of why).

Lovecraft did keep up with a number of scientific topics so maybe he had heard from underground sources about such penguin practices which combined with his general priggishness explains why he portrayed them as horror inducing.

By: Navin_Johnson

Navin_Johnson — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Yep, the use of “depravity” to describe such otherwise cute critters. <3

By: Maggie Koerth-Baker

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:12:00 +0000

Ditto. My favorite was, “I saw another act of astonishing depravity today.”

By: Maggie Koerth-Baker

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:11:00 +0000

My husband emailed it to me. I’m not sure what that says about our relationship.

By: Navin_Johnson

Navin_Johnson — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:08:00 +0000

”There seems to be no crime too low for these penguins.”

Love the way this guy wrote.

By: Sekino

Sekino — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:57:00 +0000

So ‘Edwardian’ people never happened to take a stroll in the city park and walk upon squirrels doing it?

By: Wreckrob8

Wreckrob8 — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:54:00 +0000

Poor soulless penguins deprived of the redeeming sacrifice of our Saviour.

By: penguinchris

penguinchris — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:41:00 +0000

when nature intends them to find employment, these birds, like men, degenerate in idleness

Story of my life, other than the depraved sex despite my username.

I was going to submitterate this for the chance of having (thanks, penguinchris!) show up at the bottom of an article about depraved penguin sex. But, I figured that you’d already have seen this around the same time I did (on Twitter or wherever), Maggie :)