Media not available in the Digital Archive
Description
Programme 3: Going Independent When does an infant stop being dependent on its mother and break out into the world alone? Depending on the animal and the type of system it lives in it can be very t
...raumatic. As with humans, learning to go it alone can be difficult and painful for many animals there is just so much to know and understand. Adolescent male elephants are sexually mature in their late teens but probably won't breed until their thirties, they are kept firmly under control by a dominant bull. Male bower birds spend the first 7 years of their life looking like females before they change into their male plumage they are learning what females really like. And groups of young magpies need ASBOs putting on them! Programme 4: Pairing Up Attracting and keeping a mate is not that easy, as many young lovers will affirm. For many animals it is all down to the males to battle it out and show off to attract females often at great cost to themselves. At the end of the October rut, red deer stags are exhausted, underweight and often injured. In some species it is a free for all, garter snakes in Canada have mass orgies when spring arrives but some male snakes may find that the female they are trying to mate is actually a cross-dresser! And the females? Well, even if they have matings forced on them, many species can select the sperm they want to use inside their bodies, rejecting the sperm of undesirables. A trick even the humble chicken can perform to perfection
Metadata describing this Open University audio programme
| First transmission date: |
2005-12-05 |
| Published: |
2005 |
| Rights Statement: |
Rights owned or controlled by The Open University |
| Restrictions on use: |
This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OU Digital Archive web pages. |
| Duration: |
00:54:40 |
| + Show more... |
| Track listing: |
track listing for this programme
|
Track 1
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3. Going independent |
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Track 2
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4. Pairing up |
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| Producer: |
BBC Natural History Unit |
| Contributor: |
Aubrey Manning |
| Publisher: |
BBC Open University |
| Subject terms: |
Animal behaviour; Natural history |
| Production number: |
AUDA038B |
| Available to public: |
no |
Available online
