Nov. 10, 2010 Researchers at the University of Derby and
colleagues at the University of Cambridge believe they have
found which species has the largest testicles in relation to
body weight on the planet -- and why! Yet the research team also
discovered that large testes did not necessarily relate to a
larger amount of sperm produced -- which goes against
traditional thinking in the science world. Biologists at the
University of Derby, which led the research project, say that
the Tuberous Bushcricket (Platycleis affinis) produces testes
which are 14% of the male body mass, according to research
published November 9 in Biology Letters, a Royal Society
Journal. It compares to a species of fruit fly (Drosophila
bifurca), whose testes to body weight ratio has been recorded as
10.6%. Lead researcher Dr Karim Vahed, Reader in Behavioural
Ecology at the University of Derby, said: "We couldn't believe
the size of these organs, they seemed to fill the entire
abdomen. "We are also interested in the reason why they are