• Question: why are female animals so dull and boring wereas males animals are bright and vibrent ?:)

    Asked by to Thon, James, Natalie, Shaylon on 25 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by , .
    • Photo: James Bell

      James Bell answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      In animals like birds, this is often because the males are the ones who have to compete with each other to mate. Females are picking and want to make sure that they are getting the best genetic material for their babies as they can.

      Some animals compete for mating rights through a show of strength or aggression (like deer for example) whereas some choose to have flamboyant displays of colour to impress a lady (like a peacock). Females for these species don’t need to look flashy because they are the ones who get to by choosy – the men just take what they can get because they want to pass on as much of their genes as they possibly can

      It’s not always the men that need to impress

      In some animals there is a mutual mating ritual or courtship ritual (like in swans) so males and females of these animals look pretty similar.

    • Photo: Shaylon Stolk

      Shaylon Stolk answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      It’s not always true that the females of a species are less brightly coloured than the males. In many species the males and females look very similar.

      But in bird species where males are much more brightly coloured than the female, it has to do with a process called ‘sexual selection’. If females consider brightly coloured males the most attractive, they will choose to mate with the most brightly coloured individuals. Over time, the population will be descended from the most colourful males.

      In many of these bird species, the female spends more time than the male incubating the eggs, so it’s important that she be camouflaged. If she was brightly coloured, it would be easier for a predator to find her and eat her and her eggs. So it’s better if the female is brown or another colour that will blend into her environment.

    • Photo: Anthony Caravaggi

      Anthony Caravaggi answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      As well as the sexual selection described by James and Shaylon, colour can play a role in arguments between birds. Bright colours might make birds more easy to see by rivals who want to move into that area. In many birds, the brighter the colour, the healthier the bird, so rivals can tell whether or not it’s worth picking a fight.

      Some birds are able to hide their colours from predators by moving feathers around, only letting the colours show when there’s a possible mate or rival nearby.

      Even birds which look quite dull to us might be quite flashy to other birds. Birds can see a wider range of colours than humans, including ultra-violet. Scientists have found that many birds, both colourful and dull, have quite striking ultraviolet patches on their feathers.

    • Photo: Natalie Pilakouta

      Natalie Pilakouta answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      At the most basic level, females tend to be “picky” because they only get to mate with one or a few males, whereas males are typically promiscuous (they mate with as many females let them mate with them!)

      If a female will only mate with a single male, then she should try to make sure that he’s the best one available, and that’s why males have to try to impress females so that they get picked. Depending on the species, females choose males based on their colouration or their courtship dances or how nice their nest is.

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