Cover your ears, children - that's a water boatman rubbing its penis again

We could show you this water boatman's penis. But honestly, it's not worth it. Picture: Jerome Sueur

• Water boatman is just 2mm long
• Penis rubbing can hit 99.2 decibels
• More study required, says team

SCIENTISTS study the darndest things.

This time, they've got their eye on a tiny part of the tiny 'water boatman' insect. Namely, its penis.
That's because by "rubbing" its penis against its tummy, males of the Micronecta scholtzi species serenade their sweethearts with an extraodinary three-part song that hits 99.2 decibels.
"(It's) a significant output considering the small size of the insect," says the study by scientists from France and Scotland, published by the PLoS ONE scientific organisation.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/cover-your-ears-children-thats-a-water-boatman-rubbing-its-penis-again/story-fn5fsgyc-1226087114303#ixzz1RGvl6m6k