In Pembrokeshire, entomologist Sarah Beynon will be delving into dung and taking a closer look at cow pats to study the fascinating mating behaviour of dung flies.

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"They're going there to feed, or they're going there for meeting, where males and females could meet perhaps away from a feeding area, where there's less competition and more focus on mating behaviour, " he suggested.

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The advantage is that almost all the members of the colony can direct their energies towards foraging for food in order for the whole community to survive, rather than indulging in physically exhausting mating and reproductive behaviour.

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Scientists have been monitoring Tian Tian and signs that she was nearing mating season included grumpy behaviour and loss of appetite.

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And so, late last night, the professor of pandas made a call: at last Tian Tian was hormonally ready but her behaviour was "not conducive" to natural mating.

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The animals could have been disturbed or even partially deafened, but their mating and migrating activities may have been too important for them to change their patterns of behaviour.

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