Blue-Footed Booby
Photograph by Tim Laman
To kick start this Awesome Science blog, here is an homage to Darwin, a bird from the Galapagos Islands. The Blue-Footed Booby (Yes that is its real name, no puns please) uses its blue feet to cover its eggs and help them stay warm. The male Blue-Footed Boobies are proud of their colorful feet and will intentionally display them during mating rituals. The females usually choose to mate with the males with the bluest feet.
Special Thanks to NationalGeographic.com
Is there any data on whether or not the bluest-footed males are actually better mates? Insecure human males want to know.
ReplyDeleteThe peacock is actually my favorite example of sexual selection. The males have to waste resources on these absurdly long feathers. Why? Because once upon a time long long ago, some peahen decided she wanted a man with flamboyant feathers and the trend stuck. Sexual selection just goes to show the lengths a man will go to get a woman (even if he ends up looking like an idiot in the process).
ReplyDelete