When a Bigger Penis Means Swifter Extinction
For one group of tiny crustaceans, the species whose males invest most heavily in sex disappear ten times faster.
The oldest penis ever found is 425 million years old, and belongs to an animal whose scientific name—Colymbosathon ecplecticos—means “astounding swimmer with a large penis.” Large is relative, though. The entire creature is just a fifth of an inch long, but for its size, its penis is still “large and stout,” according to its discoverers.
That’s not unusual for the ostracods—the ancient group of crustaceans to which belongs. From their origins almost half a billion years ago, these animals have diversified into some 70,000 species. At first glance, they look like.
