How to Win Even If You’re a Loser

Linda PoAudrey Julaton

Jennifer Sanders

Introduction

Do other males make fun of you? Do the ladies ignore you? Are you small, weak, ugly, and a terrible singer?

Then you may be a disadvantaged male. And you need help.

Here are some tips for overcoming your weaknesses, with a success story for each one.

Rule # 1 Can’t win a fair fight? Be sneaky!

If done correctly, a sneaky fiend can:

• Bring chaos to others’ lives

• Waste male rivals’ sperm

• Continue the family line

• Save time

• Get a free meal!

Sponge Lice

Sponge Lice (Paracerceis sculpta)

• There are 3 types of male sponge lice: alpha, beta, and gamma.

Alpha: huge-clawed fighter. Biggest male.

Beta: female look-alike.

Gamma: tiny and speedy

More info about sponge lice

Alphas put the betas into their harems. The betas seduce the captive females.

Gammas simply race past the alphas to the females.

Alphas defend their territory from other alphas.

Bogus Female

Bluegill Bluegill SunfishSunfish

Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus)

Two male types: big parental and female impostor (satellite).

Females mate with only parental males.

A satellite male joins the mating dance and fertilizes some of the eggs with his sperm.

The side-blotched lizard

• The side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) also comes in three types and personalities: orange-throated, blue-throated, and yellow-throated.

• Orange-throats are aggressive toward everyone and hold large territories. They seize land from blue-throats.

• Blue-throats are less aggressive & hold smaller territories. They guard mates from yellow-throats.

• Yellow-throats are non-aggressive and have no territory. They fool around with the other males’ mates (Zamudio).

Rule # 2Are you ugly? Form a club!

General info about leks.

• The word lek was from the Swedish word leka, which means to play (Batten).

• When a male animal cannot find a mate by himself ,he will join the leks so he can compete with other males in the leks for a chance to advertise themselves to passing females.

• However, some males might not get a mate at all.

If life in the leks are tough, why join one?

• Females are attracted to groups more than they are to individual male.

• More likely to attract females because effects are magnified ( mating calls are louder)

• Increase chance of passing on genes directly ( by competition) or indirectly (relative)

• Can help the brothers pass on their genes.

Animals that lek with their brothers

• I. Peacock • II. Black grouse

Peacock feather• Peacock have ocelli, on

eyes, on their tail feathers. Each ocellus looks like a miniature peacock. Healthy ocelli look attractive, and the color match the body. They magnify the peacock’s beauty. A healthy the feathers tail is a single male peacock’s personal, portable lek (Gould).

Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix)

• “Black grouse are intermediate between territoriality and full-fledged leks” (Gould 198).

• Female black grouse prefer the leks, with their many displaying males.

• Male grouse win mates by doing the greatest number of display repetitions in the shortest time period.

Rule # 3If you can’t sing to attract a girl,

don’t sing, just steal her!In animal world; there are the performer and the

lurker.

Females clearly prefer singer, but not every male can sing so some might have to take the female while she’s going to the singer.

Animals that use this tactic are:

I. Field cricket

II. bullfrog

Field cricket (Gryllus integer)

• Some males attract females by singing; other males are silent satellites that try to intercept females approaching a caller (Andersson).

• Singers not only attract the females but also parasitic flies

Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

• The biggest males sing and defend their territories. When they see the smaller male, they wrestle him. Usually the bigger ones win.

• The smaller one must hide under water and surprise the female while she’s on her way to the bigger one.

I sing all night, and he gets the girl!

Rule # 4Still tough to get a girl? Masturbate!In some animal like marine

iguanas, females prefer to mate with the older males.

Even if the young ones get a mate, the old ones will interrupt him before his climax.

Masturbation help the young males reduce time they need to ejaculate during sex, so they can pass on their genes before being interrupted by someone.

MarineMarineIguanasIguanas

Work Cited

• Andersson, M., (1994). Sexual Selection. Princeton university Press,

New jersey, 385-86.• Batten, M., (1992). Sexual strategies: how females choose their

mate. G.P.Putham’s sons, New York, 43.• Gould, J.L.,& Gould, C., (1989). Sexual selection, W.H. Freeman,

New York, 198-99, 215-17, 232.• Judson, O., (2002). Dr. Tatiana's sex advice to all creation. Henry

Holt and Company, New York, 78-88.• Zamudio, K. R., Alternative mating strategies in Uta

stansburiana. Cornell University Dept. of ecology & evolutionary Biology.

< http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/zamudio/KZcollab.html.>

Reference for Illustrations• Shuster, 1992. no title. North Arizona University,<http://www2.

nau.edu/~shuster/Research/Tje%20four%20%adult%20morphs%20in%Paracerceis%20scUlpta.htm>

• Dr. Neff, B., Sperm competition and games. University of western Ontario, <http://publish.uwo.ca/~bneff/current_projects.htm>

• Medical & science Media, 2005. no title. Medical & science Media,• <http:// www.Msmedia.com.au /SCIENCE/SLIDES/Zoology_

Vertebrate/Iguana_L.htm>• Lee,Roger, Blackcock lek .Roger Lee paintings,

<http://www.rogerleeart.demon.co.uk/images/bgrouse.html.>• Beasly, R., 2004, Peacock Feather.Just Picture.

<http://ronbeas3.blogspot.com/2005_01_01ronbeas3_arc>• Kenneth, All Around Britain, 2003. The klog,

<http://www.subjunctive.net/klog/photoblog.html.>• Von Gansig, D., 1997. Naturesongs.com <www.naturesongs. com/

insects.html>• Welcome to the wonderfulworld of Invertebrates, Commonwealt

Scientific and Industrial research organisation, <http://www.ento.csiro.au/ecowatch/Primary/orthoptera/images/Terogyyllus_commodus.htm>.

The End