‘Sexual depravity’ of penguins that Antarctic scientist dared not reveal

Landmark polar research about the Adelie penguin’s sex life by Captain Scott’s expedition, deemed too shocking for the public 100 years ago, is unearthed at the Natural History Museum

From the Guardian:

“The pamphlet, declined for publication with the official Scott expedition reports, commented on the frequency of sexual activity, auto-erotic behaviour, and seemingly aberrant behaviour of young unpaired males and females, including necrophilia, sexual coercion, sexual and physical abuse of chicks and homosexual behaviour,” states the analysis written by Russell and colleagues William Sladen and David Ainley. “His observations were, however, accurate, valid and, with the benefit of hindsight, deserving of publication.”

Levick’s lost masterpiece certainly has its eye-watering moments with its descriptions of male Adélies who gather in “little hooligan bands of half a dozen or more and hang about the outskirts of the knolls, whose inhabitants they annoy by their constant acts of depravity”. Injured females are mounted by members of these “gangs”, others have their chicks “misused before the very eyes of its parents”. Some chicks are crushed and injured, others are killed.

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Source: Guardian

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  1. allthehumansaredead reblogged this from discoverynews
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  4. christiun reblogged this from discoverynews and added:
    welp I just like imagining...guy who found all this out a hundred
  5. sliverdemon reblogged this from oldmanyellsatcloud
  6. doseofscience reblogged this from discoverynews and added:
    Disturbing back then, still disturbing right now. But that’s nature for you sometimes.
  7. bio-bliss reblogged this from discoverynews and added:
    keep reading
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  15. braidsbraided reblogged this from discoverynews and added:
    Penguins are gross.
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    …. Wha….?
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