Dude's Got A Dick On His Chin

 

How do some of these scientists present their findings without giggling like schoolchildren?

Ladies and gents, meet Phallostethus cuulong, a little Vietnamese fish that for some bizarre unexplained reason has its genitals underneath its head instead of, well, the usual places. 

 I got nothing but respect for these people that have to present these data, and more for all the people in the audience stifling the giggle. Perhaps they realize that they can't possibly expect such maturity from a group of scientists, and present the entire thing with a humorous spin to begin with. 





Either way, the article is extremely mature in its detailed techincality, but for a much simpler and straightforward article you can read what National Geographic has to say about it.

The more interesting question that comes out of all this is, how and why would these fish evolve in this way? One theory put forth:

head-to-head mating is apparently "a very efficient way to do it," Parenti added. While examining preserved female priapiumfish, she has found oviducts filled with sperm, meaning almost all the eggs had been fertilized.

So, did you chuckle? I did. If you didn't, well, must be boring being that mature.


Source: Shibukawa, K. et. al. (2012). Phallostethus cuulong, a new species of priapiumfish (Actinopterygii: Atheriniformes: Phallostethidae) from the Vietnamese Mekong. Zootaxa 3363: 45-51