10 Ridiculously Weird Animal Mating Rituals
7. Flatworms Mating Involves Violent “Penis Fencing”
As we all know from watching the likes of Game Of Thrones or Pirates Of The Caribbean, we all love a good sword fight. Flatworms however take this a bit too far.
Flatworms are a hermaphroditic species and contain both egg-producing ovaries and sperm-producing testes and their penises are two-headed and dagger-like.
The result of this is that when two hermaphroditic flatworms mate it results in an epic penis fencing battle which can last up to an hour, with both flatworms attempting to pierce the skin of the other with their penis in order to inseminate their "partner".
The prize for the winner is that they become the father to the offspring and are left free to abandon the mother and go off in search of other mating partners, whilst the loser becomes the mother and becomes burdened with having to provide care for the offspring.
Super fun bonus science fact – Given the dagger-like nature of their penis, flatworms also tend to use it as a weapon when hunting.