Male Guppies Harass Potential Mates Into “Girl Fights”
by Jennifer Welsh
Best girlfriends might never let a man come between them — unless they’re Trinidadian guppies. Among these fish, the presence of a harassing male can disrupt female social networks, causing female-against-female aggression, new research indicates.
During mating season, male guppies either will woo females with their shiny coats or they will harass the smaller females into mating by using nipping and chasing behaviors. Earlier research found that the presence of a harassing male seemed to disrupt female social networks, though it was not known how.
“Aggression could be a good candidate for how the female’s opportunities for bonding could be affected,” study researcher Safi-Kristine Darden, of the University of Exeter in southwestern England, told LiveScience. “But also, just generally the amount of time they have to become familiar with each other and establish dominance hierarchies” decreases when males are nipping at females’ heels…
(read more: Live Science) (photo: Anson0618 | Shutterstock )
