©Helena Hiltunen

Ulla Tuomainen: Sexual Nature ­­- Mate Choice, Sex and Family Life in the World of Animals

Courting and bringing gifts, dancing and singing, picking fights… Animals have countless ways of trying to make sure they choose the right mating partner. Sometimes they are looking for the whole package: a desirable individual who can also help take care of the little ones. The book is a journey through the breathtaking diversity of animal mating and everything that it entails. The reader encounters species from all over the world, from familiar sparrows and penguins to exotic deep sea fish, bald rats, and green-vained white butterflies. The numerous examples are tied together by a narrative explaining the evolution of mating, from eggs and sperm to reproductive organs and especially sexual behavior.

Dr. Ulla Tuomainen’s book is popular science at its best: compelling, entertaining and fun as well as informative and thoroughly based on the newest research. It is delightful in its celebration of biodiversity, but it also reminds us of the challenges that animals and plants face when trying to reproduce in our current age of rapid environmental change.

This is a unique book that helps us to understand plant and animal life as well as human existence.

Original title: Eläimellistä parinvalintaa. Gaudeamus 2022, 325 pp.
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