For years, animal behaviour has often been explained through a human lens. This has led to many of nature’s more complex and diverse behaviours being squeezed into simple, human-style stories that don’t always reflect reality.

This engaging lecture, titled Lek’s Talk About Sex, will shine a light on the extraordinary variety of ways animals select mates, ensure genetic diversity, protect paternity, and raise their young. From cooperative parenting and communal living to solo caregiving and multiple mating strategies, the natural world reveals that there is no single definition of what is ‘normal’.

The session will be led by Becx Whitefield, Advanced Practitioner in Animal Sciences at University Centre Reaseheath. Becx holds a BSc in Animal Behaviour and an MSc in Behavioural Ecology and brings extensive real-world experience to the topic.

She spent seven years working in eco-tourism across Southern and Eastern Africa, predominantly in Zambia. Her work has included leading horseback and vehicle-based safaris, and supporting conservation efforts in the upper Zambezi River systems. She is currently undertaking PhD research exploring how open-access wildlife webcams can be used to support conservation, education and public engagement.