Using 3D-printed B次元官网网址渟ex dollsB次元官网网址� a Carleton University researcher has answered a question biologists had been asking for years B次元官网网址� what do northern map turtles find attractive in a female.

Biologist Gregory Bulte says heB次元官网网址檚 been studying the mating habits of the northern map turtle for about 15 years, but the turtles are skittish and hard to observe because they mate on the bottom of lakes.

He says the females can grow to twice the length of males and he wondered whether males might be attracted to larger females.

Bulte says he and his colleagues printed two 3D printed B次元官网网址渟ex dollsB次元官网网址� of female turtles, identical in every aspect except size, and placed them a metre apart on the lake bed, with cameras rigged up to record how wild males reacted.

As predicted, Bulte says the males attempted to mate with the large model more often than the smaller one.

He says that by selecting larger females, males would increase the fitness of their offspring because larger females produce larger hatchlings and he plans to continue his research using the models.

B次元官网网址淔or these turtles it would be very difficult to have somebody just sitting there taking notes underwater without scaring them away,B次元官网网址� he said Wednesday.

Bulte said the models could also allow scientists to look at other traits involved in the turtlesB次元官网网址� mating behaviour.

B次元官网网址淲e could look at colour B次元官网网址� the markings, we could do that across seasons to see if it changes,B次元官网网址� he said.

The northern map turtle is listed as a species at risk in Canada and is found in lakes and rivers in the corridor between Montreal and Windsor, Ont., Bulte said.

Bulte also said heB次元官网网址檚 going to need some help going through the data he has collected.

B次元官网网址淣ow IB次元官网网址檓 just hoping to find a really good student that is willing to watch a lot of turtle videos,B次元官网网址� he said.

The Canadian Press