As creative as she is, Mother Nature can also be incredibly efficient. Well, let's put it this way, she's not one for wasting a good idea.

This was evidenced again this week as it is being reported that a certain insect species - Afrocimex Constrictus, found in African bat caves - very much replicates the social structure of most agencies in the PR business.

According to a report in LiveScience, scientists have discovered that female bat bugs are impersonating males. Only one out of six females possessed conventional female genitals, while the rest had genitals resembling those seen on males.

Evolutionary biologist Klaus Reinhardt at the University of Sheffield in England said: "We originally set out in the hopes of shedding light on one of nature's strangest phenomena — why males had female genitalia. We ended up uncovering a hotbed of deception."

PR Industry experts were quick to distance themselves from the association. Parket Pierce, CEO of Parker Pierce PR and 2001 PR Women of the Year award winner, said: "I haven't seen the research so I am not saying it's true or false. But I will say that I just don't think that strong and assertive in business can be construed negatively. It's worked for me. My career is my life."

Reinhart concluded that by masquerading as males, females enjoy less sexual attention and subsequently distraction. Given that sex leads to wounding in these bugs, Reinhardt and his colleagues suggest avoiding the trauma of sex makes sense.