All boy dance

June 14th, 2011 § 968 comments

Peacocks participating in a lek reminds me of high school dances. An all boy high school would extend a number of invitations to other schools to join them for a dance party. These schools were of the all female variety, allowing a small group of young men to a wide selection of young women. In leks, a group of peacocks perform in front of a bunch of female spectators, seemingly giving them all an advantageous platform to show off their strengths. Cruelly, however, usually only one or two peacocks clearly seem to be a worthy hottie, and they are the ones that attract a disproportionate number of peahens.

If you were a bad dancer or weren’t born with the best tail feathers, why would you ever participate in a lek? To very altruistically make that handsome peacock look a lot better?

ball point pen

Perhaps the answer lies in the Price equation, where your inclination to help another is based on how closely related you are to your kin. The males who participate in a lek are all related, so really, by helping them find a good wife(/wives) at least some of your genes will be passed on.

If you were a boy from a single sex school, you’d want to pride yourself in belonging to a school known for the best parties and most successful guys. Or the hottest high school girl in the world is dating a guy from your chemistry class!

-Christie

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