Sea Lampreys Have Hot Sex

http://animalzoon.blogspot.in/

Male sea lampreys need to be pretty hot to attract females — thermally hot, that is.

Play VideoFlushed Fish Invading Oceans

Flushing your fish down the toilet can be disastrous to the ocean's ecosystem. Here's why.

DCL Biologists from Michigan State University have discovered a ridge of fat cells near the anterior dorsal fins of sexually mature male lampreys that heats up when females approach. Until now, scientists had thought this "fat bump" was just ornamental.

In addition, this is the first such thermogenic, or heat-producing, tissue identified in a cold-blooded species, the team reported last week in The Journal of Experimental Biology. (See Video of Lampreys' Hot Sex)

PHOTOS: Life on the Ocean Floor Garbage Patch

"In bears, when they come out of hibernation, this type of brown fat helps them become active again," said Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, a biologist at Michigan State University and a co-author of the paper. "This fish also has this fat cell that generates heat. It's beyond my imagination."

Producing heat is energy-intensive and burns a lot of calories, especially in cold-blooded animals. But sea lampreys die once they spawn, so it's in their best interest to use up whatever energy they have to secure a mate, Chung-Davidson told LiveScience.Undo editsAlpha