Nature’s Nether Regions from Professor Menno Schilthuizen is a strange exploration of the sex lives of (mostly) insects and spiders. Sex is a subject that fascinates him like many others, but this book is not for young audiences. He does keep from using slang, and has explored his interests and concerns in a way that this book could be fascinating for biologists, entomologist, naturalists, the general public, and those who study spiders. The book is very descriptive and usually uses anatomical jargon; it is hard to find a sentence without it. As such the book is a little risqué.

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“They pique our interest in a very urgent way, but they also are the seat of power and vulnerability in both men and women. It may well be that the curious mix of modesty and lewdness that results is an evolved aspect of human behavior that, in some ways, we share with our closest relatives.”

Schilthuizen does draw conclusions and reach epiphanies when trying to reach a wider audience. The subtitle is: “What the Sex Lives of Bugs, Birds, and Beasts Tell Us About Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ourselves.”  Many might find the work too detailed and lose interest in all the wild oddities described out there. One might however be disappointed that there is not more here about mammals. There are a few interesting things here about humans, but they are not the main subject for this journey into the wild kingdom. Lovers may gain some interesting facts that they can share with their lovers, but all the questions are not answered here even for the scientists.

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