Why should you care about animal sex? (w/ Perrin Ireland)
2026-08-03 · 45 min · 11 entities
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Feed author/publisher: TED
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Link in episode "Why should you care about animal sex? (w/ Perrin Ireland)": https://experrinment.com/
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Link in episode "Why should you care about animal sex? (w/ Perrin Ireland)": https://experrinment.com/
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Link in episode "Why should you care about animal sex? (w/ Perrin Ireland)": https://experrinment.com/
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Why should you care about animal sex? (w/ Perrin Ireland)
Episode description as stored
Perrin Ireland is an artist and environmentalist who draws science comics. She’s also the author of Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex. In this episode, Perrin discusses why learning about the kinky sex lives of animals is a form of biodiversity! From topics such as animal caregiving to how language tends to ascribe sexual characteristics onto non-objects, Perrin shares why openly talking about animal sex isn’t scandalous, but allows for better understanding of animal and human social organization.
Factcheck Notes
1. Reported estimates of same-sex pairings and divorce rates in penguins vary across species and populations. Some studies have found values similar to those mentioned here, although these should not be treated as general estimates.
2. Rostrum-to-genital interactions in dolphins have been interpreted in multiple ways. In addition to possible sexual functions, studies suggest they may facilitate the inspection of chemical cues, allowing dolphins to gather information such as identity or reproductive status. Therefore, describing this behavior solely as a form of oral sex may oversimplify its potential functions.
3. Although it has been suggested that dolphins may obtain information by listening to the echoes produced by another dolphin’s echolocation, there is currently insufficient evidence that dolphins can intentionally transmit complex 3D images or engage in "holographic communication". This remains mostly a speculative hypothesis rather than an established scientific theory.
Featured guest
Follow Perrin Ireland on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at https://www.experrinment.com/
Buy Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex
Connect with the team
Follow Chris on Instagram and at chrisduffycomedy.com
Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me
Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDPods
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For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts
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