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January 19, 2005

New Research Shows in the Animal World, it Pays to be an Imposter

WOODS HOLE, MA - For the giant Australian cuttlefish, mating is a complicated undertaking complete with fighting, sneaking, and deception. In this week's issue of the journal Nature, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) senior scientist Roger Hanlon and his colleagues demonstrate that for this species, deception while mating pays off. More >>>

Additional Resources:

Download a PDF version of the paper here.

A full text copy of the paper may be accessed by registered reporters at the Nature press website - http://press.nature.com/ or by contacting Katie McGoldrick, Nature Washington, 202-737-2355, k.mcgoldrick@naturedc.com

Visit the Hanlon Lab Home Page.

Watch Quicktime video footage of a male cuttlefish mimic trick competitor males and mate with a female. (video footage courtesy of Roger Hanlon)

Photographs: Please click on thumbnails for larger images. For high-resolution images, please contact Gina Hebert at ghebert@mbl.edu.

		A male giant Australian cuttlefish with a female appearance (right) tricks two large "guard" males as he approaches the female (left). © Fred Bavendam

		Giant Australian cuttlefish. Photo credit: Roger Hanlon

		Male mimic mates with female. Photo credit: Roger Hanlon