# Would you consider this SciFi scenario a form of rape? (TW) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 2, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506 "2025-11-02T19:24:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506/61 "2025-11-11T09:56:05Z")
What about if a female sneaks in and lays her eggs in the pond? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506/62 "2025-11-11T10:36:24Z")
It is the ‘sneaking in’ part of this process that is important. If a female ‘sneaks in’ and lays her eggs in the ‘breeding ground’, her ‘sneakiness’ is potentially being rewarded. If a male ‘sneaks in’ and lays his milt in the breeding ground, his sneakiness is potentially getting rewarded. Over all, the population becomes more ‘sneaky’, and the fitness landscape becomes more diverse. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506/63 "2025-11-11T11:19:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > What about if a female sneaks in and lays her eggs in the pond? I mean, when the actual owning female comes to the pond and finds eggs there already… she has a nice caviar lunch, I would imagine. > [@eburacum45](#): > > It is the ‘sneaking in’ part of this process that is important. Pretty sure I didn’t say anything about ‘sneaking’ in the OP. Breaking in, yes, sneaking in, not so much. The eggs aren’t deposited and then left overnight or anything. It’s - female deposits eggs, males deposit milt. A male can get his milt in there through active action (basically some sort of flying leap after jumping the fence or forcing the gate). But sneaking in isn’t going to help him - unless I suppose he’s wearing a ghillie suit and pretending to be a riverside bush which, given the care and attention they’d pay to these all-important ponds, isn’t going to fly, I think. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506/64 "2025-11-11T11:49:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Pretty sure I didn’t say anything about ‘sneaking’ in the OP. Breaking in, yes, sneaking in, not so much. These are all different strategies. Many, but not all, r-selection species don’t pay much attention to their offspring after their conception, and will even use them as a source of food on occasion. Some species, such as the midwife toad, do pay attention to their offspring and protect them to a certain extent as they grow, but rarely as carefully as K-selection species. If they are too protective, a r-selection species could suffer a population explosion and collapse. For many r-selection species, the act of fertilisation is a careless and sloppy process; sometimes the males (or females) will chase rivals away from the breeding ground, but even the act of chasing one rival away might get another rival the chance to ‘sneak in’. This can be part of the strategy, as fertilisation by sneaky rivals can improve the gene pool. On the other hand, a parent that is successful in chasing away or deterring rivals will reinforce their own ‘protective’ genes, and this will reinforce the ‘protective’ strategy in later generations. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506/65 "2025-11-11T14:45:04Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > What about if a female sneaks in and lays her eggs in the pond? > > I mean, when the actual owning female comes to the pond and finds eggs there already… she has a nice caviar lunch, I would imagine. I was thinking that the female would jump in right after the males did their thing, and add her eggs to the mix. No doubt a less effective rate of fertilization, but probably not insignificant. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506/66 "2025-11-11T17:45:23Z")
But the legit eggs are carefully laid down first. And the milt doesn’t persist as viable for all that long, it basically has to be sprayed right over the eggs. I don’t think eggs just tossed in after the fact are going to get fertilized. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-scifi-scenario-a-form-of-rape-tw/1024506.md?page=3)