Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection with Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep

by Marah J. Hardt

Overview

An Oprah.com "Best Book for National Reading Month"

Forget the Kama Sutra. When it comes to inventive sex acts, just look to the sea. There we find the elaborate mating rituals of armored lobsters; giant right whales engaging in a lively threesome whilst holding their breath; full moon sex parties of groupers and daily mating blitzes by blueheaded wrasse. Deep-sea squid perform inverted 69s, while hermaphrodite sea slugs link up in giant sex loops. From doubly endowed sharks to the maze-like vaginas of some whales, Sex in the Sea is a journey unlike any other to explore the staggering ways life begets life beneath the waves.

Beyond a deliciously voyeuristic excursion, Sex in the Sea uniquely connects the timeless topic of sex with the timely issue of sustainable oceans. Through overfishing, climate change, and ocean pollution we are disrupting the creative procreation that drives the wild abundance of life in the ocean. With wit and scientific rigor, Hardt introduces us to the researchers and innovators who study the wet and wild sex lives of ocean life and offer solutions that promote rather than prevent, successful sex in the sea. Part science, part erotica, Sex in the Sea discusses how we can shift from a prophylactic to a more propagative force for life in the ocean.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250118592
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/31/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	710,937
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Dr. Marah J. Hardt is Research Co-Director for the non-profit Future of Fish. A coral reef ecologist by training, she is a former research fellow at Blue Ocean Institute. She has written for Scientific American, The American Prospect, and Scuba Diver Magazine, among other publications. She currently embraces life as a mermaid in the mountains of Boulder, CO.

Table of Contents

Introduction Getting Your Fins Wet 1

Act I Dating Games 5

1 The Quest: Seeking Sex in Saltwater 7

2 Luring a Lover: The Art of Salty Seduction 35

3 Flex Your Sex: Sex Change in the Sea 69

Act II Sealing the Deal: Part 1: Sexual Intercourse 97

4 The Penis Chapter: Sex as a Contact Sport 99

5 Inner Chambers: Influencing Sex from the Inside Out 133

Act II Sealing the Deal: Part 2: Sexual Outercourse 163

6 Oceanic Orgies: Getting It On in Groups 165

7 Synchronized Sex: A Neighborly Affair 183

Act III Post-Climax 205

8 Turning Up the Sex Drive: How to Spark Successful Sex in the Sea 207

Conclusion The Sea Is One Sexy Beast 233

Acknowledgments 235

Notes 239

Bibliography 259

Resources: Diving A Little Deeper 269

Index 273

Editorial Reviews

Whether readers are new to the marine sciences or possess prior knowledge, they will find much to learn in this well-written and delightful study.” —Library Journal, starred review

"Funny and entertaining...but it is also a warning. Misunderstanding the mating habits and needs of sea life poses great risks to our own way of life." —The Miami Herald

"An oceanographic Kinsey Report." —O Magazine

"In Sex in the Sea, Marah J. Hardt, research co-director of the nonprofit Future for Fish, gathers tales of marine love that are often as hilarious as they are disturbing." —New York Post

"[Hardt's] fascination with the sheer variety and kinkiness of sex in the ocean is unbounded." —Sierra

"Hardt’s writing is often spectacular at describing the rituals and courtships of underwater reproduction...It’s descriptions like these—luxurious and strange—that help drive Hardt’s book." —The New Republic

"A voyeuristic romp." —The Economist

"Sea sex is way more fraught than your average tinder hookup, Dr. Marah Hardt suggests in her weird, excellent new book...With endless enthusiasm and innuendos, Hardt explores the “salty erotica of the deep,” from barnacle boners to the mass simultaneous orgasms of coral (take notes, gentlemen)." —GQ

"Oh, the shenanigans that go on down below. From lobsters spraying urine on each other as part of their mating ritual to horseshoe crabs' orgies to the blue whale's 12-foot penis, Hardt covers the waterfront." —The Chicago Tribune

"A watery romp under the waves that will appeal to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of our watery planet." —Kirkus Reviews

"Hilarious...Hardt’s science is up to date in a field where research can be difficult, and readers will feel confident that they can talk intelligently about fish gonads at their next sushi dinner." —Publisher's Weekly

“I think it was W.C. Fields who famously said 'I don’t drink water. Fish have sex in it.' As Marah J. Hardt tells it in this captivating, tell-all account, for quite a few sea creatures that’s the whole point. Sex in the Sea is a highly entertaining, exhilarating book and a wonderfully fresh take on the amazing biodiversity beneath the waves." —Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group

"Sex and the sea are both deeply mysterious. The combination of the two is explosive and makes for a terrific yarn.” —Paul Greenberg, bestselling author of Four Fish and American Catch

"Sex in the City can't hold a candle to Marah Hardt's saucy and scholarly Sex in the Sea." Nancy Knowlton, author of Citizens of the Sea

“Marah Hardt has written a kinky romp through the sea—a book that should earn marine biology an X rating.” —Carl Zimmer, author of A Planet of Viruses

"Hardt reveals the curious mysteries of marine sex life in fascinating ways...Do yourself a favor and dive into this gem of a book!" —aimeejustonemorepage.wordpress.com

From the Publisher

12/21/2015
Hardt, an ecologist and research codirector for the non-profit Future of Fish, puts a hilarious, if somewhat misleading, anthropomorphic spin on underwater reproduction. She explores the sea’s sexual nature by topic of interest rather than species type, breaking her chapters up into broad areas such as sex changes, penis diversity, and different types of marine fertilization. Concern about the influence of human activity on the survival of aquatic species permeates the text, highlighting how human preferences for bigger or brighter specimens can leave a population prone to lower rates of reproduction. Hardt also notes that the impact of human waste streams can be hard to anticipate. The book’s final section focuses on ideas for sustainability. Balancing the seriousness of her content with lowbrow humor, Hardt files certain spawning aggregations under the term “oceanic orgies,” equates copepod courtship to hitting up singles bars, and describes blue whales’ singing as “getting their Barry White on.” Though the style is light, Hardt’s science is up to date in a field where research can be difficult, and readers will feel confident that they can talk intelligently about fish gonads at their next sushi dinner. 8-page color insert. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly