Josh Davis

Science meets sexuality in this eye-opening tribute to the natural world, from same-sex penguin couples to the fluid sexual expression of Dungowan bush tomatoes

Magnificently illustrated and thoroughly delightful, A Little Gay Natural History explores the incredible spectrum of sexual diversity in the animal and plant kingdoms, including profiles on:

• Jack-in-the-pulpit plant: changes its sex depending on its energy production.
• Komodo dragon: reproduces without sex, the largest species in the world to do so.
• Giraffe: engages in more male-male sexual behavior than male-female sexual behavior in some populations.
• Eel: doesn’t develop sexual organs until settling in rivers and basing it on the population’s male to female ratio.
• Morpho butterfly: possesses wings that are genetically male on one side and genetically female on the other.
• Slime mold: has hundreds of different sexes.

Same-sex penguin couples were observed by scientists as early as 1911, but the information was not deemed acceptable for public understanding and those observations weren’t publicized for almost 100 years. A Little Gay Natural History recontextualizes same-sex behavior and courtship in animals to reveal how truly common it is across species despite a long history of scientists dismissing or hiding the knowledge. Featuring specimens and objects from the Natural History Museum, London, the book also explores the fascinating reproductive morphology of plants and the complex relationship between genes and environment.

Well-researched, surprising, and comprehensive, A Little Gay Natural History challenges assumptions and redefines our understanding of the natural world.