Biologist to speak in zoology lecture series on Oct. 7

Among the many bizarre evolutionary patterns of the animal kingdom is the curious diversity of male “horns” in different species of the dung beetle.

The horns grow in a shocking array of shapes and sizes, serving as the weapons that males wield in their age-old battle for female mates.

In a lecture on Friday, Oct. 7, titled “Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus,” University of Montana biologist Douglas Emlen will describe his attempts to untangle the evolutionary rationale for beetle horns, appendages that have potentially played a critical role in the emergence of new beetle species.

Emlen is this year’s guest speaker at the annual John T. Emlen Distinguished Lecture Series organized by the Department of Zoology.

The familial heritage of this year’s speaker is particularly poignant as Douglas Emlen is the grandson of John T. Emlen, the famous UW–Madison biologist who revolutionized animal behavior research in the earlier part of this century.

The senior Emlen is particularly remembered for his groundbreaking studies of gorilla behavior and of penguin navigation in Antarctica. A UW–Madison faculty member from 1946-74, John Emlen created the fund that supports the annual zoology lecture series.

Douglas Emlen’s talk will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 in 145 Birge Hall. The talk is free and open to the public.