Which male will be most likely to
find a partner? Studies show that it’s
often the male with the most eyespots.
His eyespots will also be larger and
more symmetrically arranged than
those of other males. He will be the
most popular among the females and
will have the most opportunities
to mate.
This male isn’t just nice to look
at—he has other fabulous qualities as
well. He’s healthy enough to grow that
big, beautiful tail dotted with eyespots,
and he’s strong enough to carry that tail
around, which means he hasmore fat,
muscle, and energy than others. He
also has a better ability to resist disease.
When a female mates with the
male who has the most eyespots,
she will likely lay more eggs than she
would with a less decorated bird.
These eggs will have a richer egg
yolk, andonce the babies hatch, they
will grow faster and tend to survive
longer than the offspring of weaker
partnerships. Where peacocks are
concerned, eyespots seem to be an
honest sign of quality, a way for a
peacock to say, “You can be sure
I’m the best choice!”Peacocks’ tails don’t just look fancy.
Scientists recently discovered that
when peacocks shake their tail
feathers, they make a deep sound.
The sound is too low for people to
hear, but to other peacocks, it’s
music to their ears!¿Quepasa? What'sup? Weneedto
seatyouall
symmetrically—
evenlyspaced.SoIcan'tsitwithSam?
ThisGoliathB2Lisa
smallplane.Weneedto
balancetheweight.I spy with
my little
eye...
eyespots!