Seduction, lizard style
By John Welford
@indexer (4852)
Leicester, England
October 9, 2018 9:58am CST
Female lizards in California have shown that, when it comes to choosing a mate, what matters most is the property he owns rather than any other attribute he might possess!
The lizards in question are side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) that, being cold-blooded, depend on the heat of the sun. They live on rocky outcrops and the most prized site for basking is a boulder that stays illuminated for as much of the day as possible and has crevices underneath it that offer a hiding place should a predator turn up as well as a place where a female can lay her eggs.
The best boulders are subject to intense competition among male lizards, and soon become the property of the alphas in any lizard community. They then get to breed with the most females, which is all to the good in terms of species survival.
However, experiments have been done that show that being an alpha male is not in itself the reason why females will gravitate in his direction. When top-rated boulders are taken away from an alpha and given to a much punier male, the latter suddenly becomes a lot more popular with the ladies, probably much to his surprise.
It would appear that it is not only human females who can be seduced by the best rock in the window!
7 people like this
4 responses
@lookatdesktop (27124)
• Dallas, Texas
9 Oct 18
I hope it's not all about the size of the rock but the value and shine it gives. Talk about cold blooded.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 18
That's all very interesting. Nature has some intriguing aspects.
@sathviksouvik (17796)
•
12 Jul 20
I came to know about these lizards for the first time from your write up.