When sex roles get reversed, some females develop a 'penis'

In many species, the males develop elaborated sexual traits to attract females and dissuade potential rival males through competition. Some iconic examples are the extraordinary feathers of the peacock or paradise birds, ...

Female birds show their true colours

Showy plumage in birds is not just for the boys, ecologists from Massey University, McMaster University, Canada, Monash University, Australia, and Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany, have demonstrated.

Biologists link sexual selection and placenta formation

Sexual selection refers to species' selection for traits that are attractive to the opposite sex. This special type of natural selection enhances opportunities to mate, the tail of male peacocks being an iconic example.

Hairy snail discovered in 99-million-year-old amber

International researchers, including Senckenberg's Dr. Adrienne Jochum, have discovered a new species of land snail in an approximately 99-million-year-old piece of amber. The snail's shell features short, bristly hairs that ...

Small But Mighty Female Lizards Control Genetic Destiny

(PhysOrg.com) -- "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Mother Teresa's words echo throughout the world. They ring particularly true in the biological kingdom among brown anole lizards, ...

Manipulative mothers subdue show-off sons

The gaudy plumage and acrobatic displays of birds of paradise are a striking example of sexual selection, Charles Darwin's second great theory of evolution. But new research shows that this powerful process may collapse when ...

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