Help please settle a bet

[Peter Rice]

In article <skohan-3011950039420001 at ts4-1.wla.ts.ucla.edu> skohan at ucla.edu (Sami Kohan) writes:
>   My friend and I argueing over the definition of a male. I claim that in
>   sexually reproducing species, males do not ever bear young and she claims
>   that there are instances where they do. She claims that for examples
>   seahorse do, but I claim anyting that bears young, unless it is asexual,
>   is by definition a female. Anyone want to settle this? Thanks.... I've got
>   a dinner riding on it.

Seahorses? He only looks after them. he doesn't bear them.

To quote Flanders and Swann:

	On the morning after her bridal night
	The Lady seahorse bolts
	Leaving her seahorse groom to hatch
	Seafillies and seacolts.

	While her husband tends their sea urchin brood
	The seamare spends her days
	Opening hospital gala fetes
	And charity matinees.

Maybe you both lose your bet :-)

>I claim anyting that bears young, unless it is asexual,
>is by definition a female

Oops. You lose because of hermaphrodites.

>males do not ever bear young and she claims
>   that there are instances where they do

... and I reckon she loses on this one.

How about "the male gamete penetrates the female gamete" and "males only
produce male gametes"?

So many lurkers in this newsgroup - and so many of them now wondering what
the definition of a male is - this could cause serious anguish :-)
--
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Peter Rice                           | Informatics Division
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