It’s hard to miss the giant antlers and antlers that animals like moose and rams brandish, but researchers recently looked into what’s going on with female animals without horns and made an interesting discovery. . national geographic The study took years, examining specimens of more than 400 ungulates (think ungulates like deer, elk, sheep, goats, and antelopes) in seven different museums. Researchers found that while males began to develop upper-heavy weaponry, females began to grow larger brains. “I think females are a very important aspect of biology that is often overlooked,” says study co-author Nicole Lopez of the University of Montana. “Because usually they look monotonous, dull, or not very elaborate.”
Paper published in behavioral ecology and sociobiologypoint out that male brain size remains constant while the horns grow over time, focusing energy on larger horns. But co-author Ted Stankowicz of California State University, Long Beach says, “The more men invest in weapons, the less stupid they become.” The authors suggest that male and female characteristics are correlated. They argue that as males grew larger weapons, the social structure of the herd became more complex. “Perhaps females need larger brains to decide who to mate with and how to navigate the social system,” Stankowicz says.
said Umat Somjee, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Texas who was not involved in the study. Nat Geo While the theory is convincing, researchers say a larger brain does not necessarily equate to intelligence, and more data on behavioral traits needs to be collected. However, some benefits have been proven.around Phys.org, evidence shows that Scottish female deer had larger brains, lived longer, and produced more offspring. With these new discoveries, López believes the focus should shift to how males fight for mates and not how their big-brained females make choices. That’s what I’m thinking. “But maybe we just haven’t tested it in the right way to show that. [females] The final male that mates has some kind of decision to make,” she says (along with a very Canadian warning: Don’t let the moose lick your car).