marine biology

[jinian]

Background: In my family, we have a tradition of making cooperative quilts for new babies. Sometimes, they don't get done for a while. (Hey, snout, I did finally get that one square. It's sparkly, though. Fabric paint should not be used for evil.) So, a cousin of my mom's is having twins real soon now, and I got the squares for it last week. They know that one's a boy and one's a girl, and their names are all picked out. (The girl will be Thyra, which is kinda cool, and they're calling the boy... Gorm. I think of them as being from Barsoom now. I just hope there's a good source of bejeweled diapers in St. Paul.)

Being the family freak, I consider it my duty to corrupt the little ones as much as possible. I am therefore trying to come up with gender-role-subverting things to put on the baby squares. I don't want to actually embroider a little Gay Pride Parade or anything, so something more subtle is in order. I've mostly decided that one of them will be a sea horse (male carry the young from egg to miniature-adult stage), but I don't want to do them both the same kind of animal. On the other hand, the blankets are being done as a pair, and I want a theme of some sort. So, does anyone know of some other aquatic creature with strange reproductive habits? I know there are some tropical fish that reproduce by parthenogenesis, but they're just black or gray or something and I'd like pretty ones. Aquarium livebearers are a possibility, since there are rumors of trangendered females. Dolphins are promiscuous, so that could work.
I want something really good, though. Are there stories of lesbian octopus? Sex-changing lobsters? Polyamorous clownfish?

Comments

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

if anyone is naming their children 'Thyra' and 'Gorm', you
are not the family freak, honey, good god.

fabric paint, aieeee (on a child's quilt? so nice to
cuddle up to!)

i know not of aquatic gender transgressors (who are pretty)
but i will think on it some.

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

Several species of reef-dwelling fish can change gender, particularly the bluehead wrasse (http://www.unl.edu/wglider/biofacts/fishsex.html, http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/1999/Rice/Rice.htm). There is also some evidence that a majority of chinook salmon are reversing gender, but this is thought to be due to pollution (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/salmon_sex001215.html). Similar things are being found on Britain (http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_49000/49613.stm).

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Wow, your first link is a 404 already. That didn't take long. The second one is great, though, thanks!

[jinian.livejournal.com]

That's a good point about the fabric paint being non-cuddly. I will use that as one of my reasons for refusing to use it when I am pressured to do so this summer. There's yet another blanket being made, you see, and my aunt has taken it into her head that we can all paint our squares at the family reunion. There's no way I'm doing that. I'm sure she'll be insulted no matter what, but additional reasons are good.

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

scratchy scratchy or clammy, eww

[kitty-scarboro.livejournal.com]

i was reading snout's friend entries, hope you don't mind a comment

i think jellyfish somtimes reproduce asexually (by budding)....and they are pretty cool looking.
does that work?

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

oh man yeah like the aquarium ones (kylee, meet sarah, sarah, meet kylee ;) )

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Jellyfish are pretty neat. That's a good idea.

And comments are welcome, of course. :) Hi.

[jadine.livejournal.com]

Most snails are hermaphrodites- you could use a big golden apple snail.

And frogs can change gender. (They're sort of aquatic...)

[jeliza]

Anemones reproduce by fission.
And then there are all the mouth breeding fishes, like guppies.
And there was one thing at the aquarium today that can reproduce both asexually and sexually, but I can't remember the name.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Gorm? They're naming the boy GORM?! At least he won't be gormless...

[jinian.livejournal.com]

And neither will they.