In the insect equivalent of fighting a duel to protect a lady's honor, male crickets risk their lives to safeguard their mates from danger. Field
crickets (Gryllus campestris) snuggle down in burrows either on their own or with a mate. When pairs hang out outside their holes, males tend to
sit farther away from the entrance, letting females stay closer in. That makes it easier for the buzzing females to duck away from oncoming predators
like magpies; males, however, become an easy lunch. Still, the bugs are no knights in shining armor, researchers report
online today in Current Biology. Males that stick close to females are savvy guards, chasing away other would-be suitors, claiming more mating
opportunities for themselves. So for crickets, at least, it pays to be a gentleman.
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