Does it pay to be a lover or a fighter? It depends on how you woo females
As mating season approaches, male animals are faced with a question that can make or break their chances at reproducing: does it pay to be a lover or a fighter? Or both?
Researchers from The University of Manchester and Syracuse University in New York working with the University of Western Australia, found that where animals fall on the lover/fighter scale depends on how much they are able to ensure continued mating rights with females.
In species where fighting for the right to mate means greater control of females, such as in the elephant seal, males invest more in weapons and less in testes size. (more…)