— And we are back to the eyes of the naked apes. You see, cadets, this species is so interesting that we spent three lectures just discussing their eyes. But it is part of your training in exobiology. You have to understand that every feature you see in a biological species has a reason to exist. It exists because there was an evolutionary pressure that selected for it. The ape scientists know this as well as we do; they understood the two main drivers of selection long ago. Survival selection and sexual selection.
— Well, Meuianga, by now we understand that this species is very sexually oriented. You told us something about other Earth mammals, but none is like this.
— Yes, cadets, did you notice that this is one of the very few mammalian species on planet Earth that uses colors to signal sexual availability?
— Right, right, Meuianga! They are all grey or brown!
— Indeed, cadets. These naked apes show a range of colors, although it is mostly concentrated on just two points of their body: their lips, and their eyes. And it is not just the colors, it is the contrast of colors. That’s why I am showing you this picture. What do you notice about it?
— Well, these are female eyes…. obviously.
— We recognize them because of the long eyelids.
— That shade of green is remarkable, yes.
— Correct, cadets. These bright colors are a relatively recent evolutionary development. Just a few hundred Earth orbits ago, they were very rare. But they are diffusing. Pushed by sexual selection. There is much to learn when studying this species. But that’s not the point of this lesson. There is another characteristic of the apes’ eyes that I wanted you to notice.
— One more, Meuianga? These eyes are a true treatise on evolution among mammals!
— Right, Cadet. You know what our ancient philosopher Awawe te vupxì zawwìkx'itan said: you learn about the whole from the details. So, concentrate about these eyes. Let me show you another picture which shows the same detail. It is, again, a female, but you can see the same feature in males.
— Mmm…. What are we supposed to see, here?
— Meuianga, this female has shiny grey eyes, yes.
— Long eyelids, too… but what else?
— All right cadets, let me show you another pair of ape eyes.
— Oh…. Meuianga. There is a difference!
— Indeed, we see it!
— The white, the white…. the sclera!
— It doesn’t show below the iris!
— See, Cadets? You are developing quite sophisticated observation skills, even though you still need a little coaching. Yes, this is a typical naked ape eye. It is by far more common than the ones I showed you before. Those eyes which show the sclera below or above the iris have a name in one of the ape languages. They are called sanpaku eyes, which in that language simply means “three whites.”
— Ah, yes, Meuianga. Interesting.
— Fascinating, I’d say.
— But is there a meaning in having or not having that…. how did you call it, sanpaku eyes?
__ Good question, Cadet Hoa te nìyä käusripaym'ite. And I have to confess to you that I am not sure myself about it. The naked apes have some theories, but they don’t agree on which one is the good one. And some of them say that it is just a question of natural variations. Not all ape eyes are the same, some show the sclera more than others. But I have a personal theory….
— Meuianga, we were sure of that!
— We’d love to hear your theory.
— Of course, Cadets. But that will take another lesson. For the time being, let me just tell you that it is likely to be another secondary sexual signal, and one more of those signals which evolved recently in the naked apes. Let me show you another image
— How strange!
— It is one of their virtual images, right?
— They love to create these images.
— And, yes, now that you told us, we can see those exaggerated secondary sexual signals. This ape has those red lips, long eyelids, and that sanpaku eyes….
— Yes, cadets. These images made by the apes emphasize some characteristics that they evidently find attractive. Let me show you a few more examples.
You see those typical sanpaku eyes. Note also the limbal ring. And note also that the eyes are so big that they are out of proportion with the face. One of those eyes is larger than this female’s mouth. It couldn’t be in real apes! Look at this one
— Wow, Meuianga. Is this supposed to be a female naked ape?
— Rather a monster, I’d say.
— Those eyes… they are impossible.
— Indeed, cadets. This is what we call a “sexual supernormal stimulus.” An exaggerated version of a normal secondary sexual signal. You can also see that when their females paint their lips bright red. It is to strengthen the secondary sexual signal. In this case, this non-existing female is strengthening her ocular sexual signal. Note also how she is touching her mouth. It is a very small mouth, it couldn’t exist in the real world, but pointing at it emphasizes the signal.
— As if it was needed….. Meuianga, these apes seem to do nothing but signaling sex to each other. Is it possible?
— It is possible, cadet Tawurkxopxi te au aonapxäa'ite. That’s how they are. I have been studying them for a long time, and I am still learning new things about them.
— So, a Meuianga, a male ape would mate with this female because of these signals?
— Sounds weird…. Meuianga, is this true? I wouldn’t mate with a female because she has eyes of a certain color. Or because she shows the sclera or not.
— Cadet Räkxeìkx te mao moloa'itan, you are not a male naked ape, so you don’t have to mate with these females.
— Ah… Meuianga, of course not!
— But you never know what can happen in this wide universe.
— Meuianga, what do you mean?
— That near the Tannhäuser Gate there are things that you Reptilians can’t even imagine. But never mind that. I have a lot more to tell you about them, and more about their supernormal stimuli. But, for today, it is enough, and may the Reptilian Federation rule the Galaxy justly and wisely!
— May the Federation rule!
Even People can do this with Other People if they both do it! Dogs' Brains Sync With Ours When We Gaze Into Their Eyes, Study Finds https://www.sciencealert.com/dogs-brains-sync-with-ours-when-we-gaze-into-their-eyes-study-finds