Four hundred million years ago, a lowly lungfish hauled itself out of the primordial ooze on flimsy front fins, surveyed the verdant earth, took a gulp of air. . .and started looking for some action.

Not a whole lot has changed since then.

The drive to find a suitable mate has been hardwired into every slippery, slimy, feathery, and furry beast that's ever walked, wriggled, flown, or swum the earth. From limpet to lounge lizard, every life form-low and high-seems constantly and conspicuously on the make. Needless to say, the methods employed in this ceaseless effort to score are not always pleasant to witness. But, in the name of science, one man has made a lifelong study of the natural world's bizarre and often pathetic mating rituals (yes, including those of the naked ape). Cartoonist Gary Larson may well be the world's preeminent paleo-animal-romanticologist. At least, he would be if there really were such a thing.

The cartoons collected in this year's batch of Far Side calendars are populated by amorous ungulates, passionate porcupines, courting cavemen, flirtatious flies, and that most rare and endangered species of all. . .nerds in love.

The quest for love on the Far Side may not leave you with a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye, but it will leave you laughing, and remind you of that timeless truth so often forgotten in the heights of passion. . .love makes fools of us all.

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