Abstinence makes the booby’s feet grow bluer
source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/biology_evolution/article6939943.ec
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A year’s abstinence may sound an unlikely recipe for sexual success. But a chaste spell can work wonders for male prowess, at least in tropical birds, according to scientists.
In a study of the blue-footed booby, which is native to the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador, they found that when birds had a year off from reproducing, their feet became brighter in colour. For female boobies, the more luminous the foot, the more desirable the male.
“They go for the most luminous feet possible,” said Alberto Velando, an evolutionary ecologist from the University of Vigo in Spain and lead author of the study.
Generally, young male boobies have the brightest feet and they fade in colour over the bird’s lifespan, which can be more than 20 years. Scientists found that a period of abstinence can restore some of the youthful glow, making the birds more desirable in the following mating season.
In a study of the blue-footed booby, which is native to the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador, they found that when birds had a year off from reproducing, their feet became brighter in colour. For female boobies, the more luminous the foot, the more desirable the male.
“They go for the most luminous feet possible,” said Alberto Velando, an evolutionary ecologist from the University of Vigo in Spain and lead author of the study.
Generally, young male boobies have the brightest feet and they fade in colour over the bird’s lifespan, which can be more than 20 years. Scientists found that a period of abstinence can restore some of the youthful glow, making the birds more desirable in the following mating season.
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remanns
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Flash that blue,...booby!
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remanns
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remanns
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Blue is good!
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remanns
