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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Giant genitals were the downfall of some ancient crustaceans

Overinvestment in sex organs can make species slow to meet new challenges.
SEM of Male ostracodes of the species Veenia ponderosa

This 78-million-year-old male ostracod — a small crustacean — had a shell longer than a female’s to accommodate male sex organs. Credit: Gene Hunt

Some ancient crustaceans put so much energy into enlarging their genitals that they became extinct.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-04110-7

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