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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (34316)	5/11/2005 9:45:20 PM
From: Oeconomicus	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90947

Speaking of joyful fish... Size really does matter to females - at least among some fish SHERYL UBELACKER Tue May 10, 6:06 PM ET TORONTO (CP) - When it comes to females and a male's . . . uh . . . equipment, it seems size really does matter - at least among certain fish. A study of mosquitofish - guppy-like creatures that feed on mosquito larvae - shows that females definitely prefer well-endowed males to their shrimpier brothers. But sex aside, being bigger isn't necessarily better. Male mosquitofish with large genitalia have a greater risk of dying - even if it is with a smile. "Its a classic evolutionary trade-off between attracting mates and avoiding predation," said Brian Langerhans, a graduate student in evolutionary biology at Washington University, whose study was published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Having a large genital organ may increase your probability of mating, but it also may increase your probability of being eaten." That's because mosquitofish with large genitalia - known as a gonopodium - can't swim as quickly, Langerhans said Tuesday from St. Louis, Mo. "Females may prefer to mate with males exhibiting a large gonopodium . . . but having such a large non-retractable organ hanging off the body might contribute substantially to drag and would contribute nothing to thrust. "So it will decrease your swimming ability, so when you want to burst away from a predator you're going to be slower," said Langerhans, describing the gonopodium as a rod-like appendage hanging from the male's belly that can measure 35 per cent of body length. Male mosquitofish use their gonopodium in courtship, waving it in front of females, he explained, noting that mosquitofish are among the few fish species that don't lay eggs but copulate and give birth to live babies. ... full story: dailynews.yahoo.com