City Living Makes Animals Dishonest
Honesty is the basis of any good relationship. This is as true for animals as it is for humans. When a peahen is looking for a mate, she sees a peacock’s tail as an honest signal of his quality. “Look at me!” says her suitor, wiggling his ridiculous display from side to side, “I can invest energy into growing this thing and still have plenty to spare.”
Selection for traits that signal genetic strength in partners is the root of the animal kingdom’s greatest eccentricities, from the lion’s mane to
