On November 15, 2020, we came across a photo of three whales engaging in a ménage à trois. Yes, three. Specifically, two phalluses—resembling girthy gray tentacles or supple fire hoses—arched with surprising dexterity toward another belly-up whale. The thread explained that when a female whale wants to conceive, she ascends to the ocean’s surface, inviting multiple males to the party to increase her chances of optimal fertilization. In response, males sometimes unleash vast amounts of semen in hopes of securing their paternity. You’re whale-cum for that fun fact.
Growing up, we played countless games with our family. One favorite was MindTrap, a 1991 puzzle game that invites teams to solve mysteries and logic problems together. One challenge shows zoomed-in images, and players try to figure out what the object is. This guessing game became a tradition, continuing in text messages when distance separated us for school or work. Well, within 48 hours of seeing that blessed whale image, a new genre of sharing magnified images emerged—animal mating anatomy photos. Two-pronged sugar glider dongs, four-headed echidna heads, and alien-esque turtle parts filled our lockdowns with bizarre joy. Throughout 2021, we shared these discoveries in group chats and video calls. Everyone quickly joined in the shock, fascination, and too many incognito image searches.
It wasn’t hard to see how phallus-obsessed the discourse on animal mating is.
Many months and members later, the whale image still stuck with us—the size, the female agency, the thruple. As our fascination grew, we learned the blue whale penis has its own Wikipedia page, Iceland boasts a phallic museum, ducks hold the Guinness record for their corkscrew members, and barnacles are celebrated for penises that extend eight times their body length. It wasn’t hard to see how phallus-obsessed the discourse on animal mating is. Thanks to the work of female and queer scientists and authors, we spent 2022 exploring the vast range of female anatomy, male creatures without phalluses, and animals that defy ‘typical’ classifications.
By 2023, we were fully invested in making this into a game that could share this feral world of animal mating with the masses. After countless iterations, we found ourselves returning to the essence of what games have always been for us—joy, connection, and learning, with a little competition. Since January 2024, we have been playing the final iteration of the game with friends, family, and neighbors. Now, we invite you to join us on the revelrous journey of becoming a feral naturalist.
