London - Weedier, less aggressive males are the first choice of females in some species, including coho salmon and quail, the New Scientist has reported.
"People just expect the dominant guy to win but females learn through personal experience that such males can hurt them," says Alex Ophir of Canada's McMaster University.
Ophir proved the point by observing Japanese quail. Female quail watched a fight between two males then were put in a cage with the combatants. Virgin females preferred the winner but the females with some sexual experience tended to choose the loser.
Female coho salmon were also more likely to chose males known as jacks which stop growing earlier and are smaller, which is perhaps a sign of maturity and quality according to evolutionary biologist Steve Shuster of Northern Arizona University.
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"The females may also prefer to avoid the physical abuse of mating with aggressive males," the magazine added.
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This article was originally published on page 4 of Cape Times on July 31, 2003
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