A Little Queer Natural History
Josh L. Davis’s illustrated and informative science text A Little Queer Natural History reveals that the natural world is more complex and inclusive than people often assume.
The book profiles the sexual behaviors of an array of creatures, including unisexual whiptail lizards that lay fertilized eggs without encountering sperm and common pill woodlice whose sex is determined by a parasitic bacterium. In all, the unique sexual adaptations of twenty-nine plants and animals are detailed, including green sea turtles and splitgill mushrooms. The topics include homosexual behaviors observed among apes, giraffes, penguins, and sheep, as well as hermaphroditic, asexual, and gender-fluid behaviors. For instance, parrotfish are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning they produce male and female sex cells and change sex as they age. Colonies of clownfish are led by a dominant female; when she dies, the largest male changes sex to take her place. In the insect world, female barklice evolved a “penis” that they insert into the male “vagina” to extract packages of sperm and nutrients. Plants and fungi also evolved diverse strategies to reproduce.
The descriptions are factual and straightforward, and the gorgeous color photographs are devoted to depicting the creatures in their environments. Emphasizing changing historical perceptions, the book highlights the work of leading researchers over the past few centuries. For instance, in 1923, John Peacock Ritchie was the first to photograph male mute swan couples raising chicks on a Scottish loch. He persisted in describing queer behavior, despite his colleagues’ skepticism. And the book notes that, historically, scientific literature described homosexual behavior as bizarre, abhorrent, or immoral: a 1987 paper described queer behavior in Mazarine blue butterflies via “A Note on the Apparent Lowering of Moral Standards in the Lepidoptera.”
An absorbing and meticulous science text, A Little Queer Natural History shares an important perspective on the natural world.
Reviewed by
Kristen Rabe
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
