TOW #15 For That Zeus Bug in Your Life (Natalie Angier)

Zeus bug female giving her mate a lovely piggyback ride.

"For That Zeus Bug in Your Life" was published in the New York Times by Natalie Angier, a science journalist who has worked for Discover Magazine and TIME Magazine as a science writer. She has even won a Pulitzer Prize for her journalism. In this article she presents the idea of gifts exchanged between animals, appropriate for the winter holiday season where it is common practice to give gifts, as for Christmas or Hanukkah. Here she presents the idea tat "the drive to exchange presents is ancient, transcultural and by no means limited to Homo sapiens." The exchange of goods is most commonly seen for nuptial purposes, says Angier, but they may serve a wide variety of purposes and come in all shapes in sizes. Her purpose is to convince us that gifts are universal throughout the animal kingdom, and, I think, to show that some of our sophisticated practices are not always so human. The article is for those interested in science, but they do not need any experience in biology to understand her writing. Several pictures are included with the article to help visualize the gifts and animals that exchange them. The article begins with two examples of animal gifts: the female Zeus bug's waxy secretions meant to nourish her mate and the bonobo's food-sharing practices. Angier employs the second person, to engender a connection between her audience and these animals. She writes "For the bonobo you've just met: half your food, at least. Just shovel it over. Sharing is fun!" The "sharing is fun" comment is reminiscent of our kindergarten lessons in behavior, and Angier clearly connects it to wild animals. Angier continues with her examples for the rest of the article, and chooses organisms from throughout the spectrum of life. Beetles, snails, birds, primates, and spiders are all proven to display gift-giving behavior. When presenting her examples, Angier follows a particular pattern. She will present the behavior with narrative to garner interest, and then provide an explanation as to why this behavior is present and what benefits/costs it may have. She then transitions into present research on the subject, utilizing quotes from experts and researchers in this field. Overall, her varied examples and credibility from research certainly prove that animal gift-giving are present in many different animals, and that the procedure is not unique to humans around Christmas.