The dominant male is familiar to most of us: a certain type of man who always gets what he wants. And usually what he wants is sex. The female of the animal kingdom usually has the ability to choose who she has sex with, how many partners she entertains, and ultimately whose sperm her body will accept to father her young. Males have difficult obstacles to overcome in order to ensure their genetic survival. Aggression and violence are not uncommon in the animal world, but there are ways in which males have adapted to the challenges females impose. Evolution has lent a helping hand to many, so that chance is not the only factor in becoming a father. Witness how nature has enabled certain forms of sexual sabotage: male bed bugs for instance can inject their sperm into another male, so that when the latter mates, he’s actually using his attacker’s sperm. Macho Males uncovers the male’s penchant for aggression, and how his methods of courting and protecting females can be hostile, violent, and even fatal.
Femme Fatales debunks the belief that females are inherently gentle and passive. They can be ruthless when it comes to deciding who will father their young. Males are used and discarded, seen as just a step in a breeding experiment to find the best male specimen. Males are forced into raging battles, extreme physical marathons and bone breaking sexual Olympics. He may be seeking either pleasure or progeny, but neither is guaranteed. Nature’s femmes fatales are a presence to be reckoned with. The female Praying Mantis can and does eat her partner’s head. Although that doesn’t stop the male. His body takes over and he continues to service her, hoping for the smallest chance to continue his family line. Watch how these femmes fatales command the males of the animal world to obey their every whim. They push the males’ limits and comfort zones to extremes, sometimes with disastrous consequences. For the male, at least.
Hardwired desire, genetic continuation, and orgasm are among the many motivating factors that drive animals to great lengths in pursuit of sex. Meet sexual predators and their prey, kama sutra experts with sexual stamina that will impress event the fittest amongst us. A male bottlenose dolphin will cruise the ocean seeking satisfaction from other males as well as any other species willing to give him a helping hand. Libido drives animals to do the most amazing of things; singing, dancing, and fighting are among the many ways animals try to seal the deal, and get lucky. Libido uncovers the bizarre world of the sex drive, and discovers exactly what is driving the most primal urges on the planet.
If animals don't advertise their sexuality through strength, they have to find other selling points. And millions do. The natural world is full of shameless self promoters using sexual signals which work on every level, and attack every sense. In the Hard Sell meet some hardened campaigners who use every trick in the book to get what they want. From Mormon crickets who offer bogus meals of sperm, to beetles who advertise their sexual availability with elephant dung, to lemurs that rely on the allure of homemade stink bombs. It's a steamy look at the currency of sex in the wild, and how sex is marketed, bartered, and sometimes even bought.
Swingers exposes not only the rarity of monogamy in the animal world, but the proliferation of group sex. Animals also have needs, and if they are not fulfilled, they will often look to their neighbour for relief. Leave those old-fashioned ideas about commitment and loyalty behind, and journey into the exciting, enticing world of group sex, where the promiscuous thrive. Observe what it means truly to have sexual freedom in a world where other versions of divorce, adultery, and group orgies are daily events. Some Male geese are known to entertain same sex partners, but when a female comes along, a ménage-a-trois can be a welcome experience. Animals will dance, sing, fight, and play homemaker in order to get noticed in such a promiscuous world. Although not all succeed, some animals will never make the cut, and never lose their virginity.
Deviants? tracks some of the oddest sexual behavior in the known world. Humans aren’t the only ones to experiment with different sexual practices. When it comes to “deviant” sexual behavior, animals can put human efforts to shame. In the animal world deviancy isn’t just tolerated, it’s a way of life. This is an extraordinary world of weird sex, of sex without reproduction, and reproduction without sex. Animals have perfected inventive methods of masturbation, and homosexual activities. Orangutans can actually invert their male organ to create a cavity for another male to penetrate. In nature, it’s as if there are no limits. Sex solely for the sake of reproduction? This film exposes that notion as a myth. Learn how asexuals, hermaphrodites, homosexuals, and transvestites are just a gentle introduction into what looks like a sex-crazed animal world. Animals have learned to get what they want, when they want it, and in ways which (to humans at least) might seem extreme.