QGirl Explores Bachelorette Party Trivia, WRC Style

All week QGirl's been wondering what to contribute to her friend Katie's bachelorette/shower tonight.

Seeing as how Katie is a like-minded science geek who actually pursued her passion and is a CVT (that's certified vet tech) at WRC, and the party is mainly WRC staff and friends, it seemed natural that the trivia game involve animals. Throw the "bachelorette" theme into it and yep, you guessed it: Animal Penis Trivia!

Let's just say that QGirl had only the slightest inkling of how fascinating this branch of study could be.

Feeling smart or simply adventurous?  Here ya go!  (scroll down for answers)


1. What are you really calling someone when you call them a “Dork”?

2. You’ve heard of hung like a horse. Is it also a compliment to be “hung like a gorilla”?

3. Get Kinky! The Argentine Bluebill Duck’s penis is shaped like a corkscrew, and like other ducks’, is kept withdrawn in their cloacae. Researchers were shocked to discover a bluebill’s penis measured:
a) 6” b)   11” c)   17”   d) 22”

4. Name another mammal, other than the opossum, that has a bifurcated penis (that’d be split w/2 heads).

5. Speaking of 2… Species of which family have not one, but two penises?

6. Holy Exploding Balls, Batman! Name two insects whose testicles explode during mating.

7. What species mates via a detachable penis? Yes, it actually sends its penis out to mate with the female all on its own.

8. No male needed! Name a reptile where all the members are female.

9. What is “apophallation”?

10. Is that a tumor or are you happy to see me? What is unique about the anglerfish’s mating?



ANSWERS

1.  A Whale Penis

2. No. Gorillas proportionately have one of the smallest penises of any mammal: only 2” Shrews have the shortest: only .2” when fully erect.

3. A whopping 17” for this tiny duck (avg. is 8”). To put it in perspective, that’s comparable to a human male having a 12 FOOT penis!

4. The Kangaroo! Females have 2 vaginas.

5. Members of the shark family! Flatworms, which are hermaphrodites, have multiple penises. So next time you hear of someone with a tapeworm in them… hmmm…

6. Honey Bees and… ick… the wasp spider. Don’t even want to know what that looks like. They actually explode inside the female during mating. Is that the Big Bang Theory? Scientists think the bees evolved to this point because the displaced testicles embed themselves in the queen bee, sealing her off from other mating attempts.

7. Argonaut Octopus (Paper Nautilus)

8. The cute little whip-tail lizard! Yep, they’re all female and actually just clone themselves. Two females act out a mating session (do they have lizard strap-ons?), causing them to produce eggs. All babies are female. Not one male whip-tail lizard around. Guess they’ve been whipped!

9. Ummm… that’s when the female actually bites off the male’s penis during copulation. Sausage anyone?

10. The male anglerfish has no digestive system when born so it immediately seeks out a female, bites her, secretes an enzyme that dissolves her skin and his, becoming absorbed into her body. His sperm is automatically released when she’s ready to spawn.

The 1st Post: Dry Quicksand

I have to admit that while I'm fascinated by the Holstein topic, I'm a bit afraid of what I'll find in researching it.

That problem was solved last night while watching the Chinese film "Kekexili: Mountain Patrol."  (more about the film below, but first: dry quicksand)

In the movie, which is great by the way, a Tibetan anti-poaching patrolman sinks in dry quicksand. And rather quickly actually.  Hence the name "quick" sand?  Anyway, his sinking has prompted much discussion (arguments, really) regarding whether or not such a thing exists outside of Hollywood movie sets.

So, it has become the 1st topic for QGirl: Does Dry Quicksand Exist?

Today's research has determined that it does exist based on a group of scientists being able to create dry quicksand in the lab, where a ping pong ball does disappear amazingly quickly (as reported by Nature Magazine, but here's a synopsis of the experiment).  Does it exist in the Sahara and other arid places? Most likely not, but since I want to win this argument and since it has been proven that it could feasibly exist, I consider that all the evidence needed.  Just ask the Tibetan guy.

Here's a link to info on the movie Kekexili, and another one on the amazing story of the Tibetan antelope.

Oh, and the reason for the post in the first place - the sinking ping pong ball video.

Why QGirl Exists

As Cabin Girl's alter-ego, QGirl actually asks all those annoying questions that just randomly pop into her head. I figure it's the best way to continually expand my knowledge (while driving others batty).

I can trace the birth of QGirl back to February 17, 2010 (mark the date - QGirl loves gifts!).  She was born in a flurry of questions about Web development with her good friend "AnswerMan" aka, "Aussie Scott."  To this day he lives in fear that QGirl will strike again.

QGirl is pondering the 1st topic of her new blog.  She's leaning toward the general Holstein topic that arose 16 days ago on a trip through Wisconsin's dairyland.  The general train of thought began quite innocently with the first question: "What do male Holsteins look like?"  Then, once I realized how very little QGirl knows about these animals, quickly exploded into "Do male Holsteins give milk?" "Do female Holsteins always give milk or only when their bodies tell them they should?" "Do we artificially trigger the call for milk in Holsteins" and finally, on the far end of the topic "Are there really male Holsteins or have we so greatly modified Holsteins that they're really just one giant milk vat and completely sexless?"

QGirl hasn't had milk in 15 days...