Re: NANFA-L-- OT: Sales of Males

dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
Mon, 12 Dec 2005 10:27:07 -0600

If the reason that shops don't sell females is that people don't buy
them because "females are ugly," then that demonstrates that most
people who keep fish that they buy are not interested in the fish. I
teach general zoology. Occasionally I have a student who, when we
dissect an animal in lab, shows no interest in examining any specimens
other than the one (s)he personally dissects. I point out to them that
if their specimen is a (fe)male, then they've only studied half a
reproductive system (and of course, I test them on the whole
reproductive system). The same principal applies with fish in
aquaria. If one has only one sex in the tank, then one has only half
the species represented. I don't know what "ugly" means with regard to
fish, regardless of color or other phenotypic attributes. If it's a
fish, it has esthetic qualities of interest, whether those be colors,
behaviors, body form, or what. Whenever people refer to an animal as
ugly, I wonder what they mean. I was told that a toadfish was ugly.
To me, its bizarre body form is a part of the beauty of nature. Fish
sexual behavior is beautiful.

Dave

David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm

"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"

----- Original Message -----
From: Moontanman-in-aol.com
Date: Monday, December 12, 2005 0:48 am
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- OT: Sales of Males
> In a message dated 12/11/2005 5:04:47 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> JLW-in-dune.net
> writes:
>
> the females are ugly.
>
>
>
> My wife said if i didn't disagree with that all my aquariums are
> out of here
>
>
> Moon
> My futures so bright, I gotta wear shades!
> /------------------------------------------------------------------
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