Female animals deliberately make themselves UNATTRACTIVE 'to avoid unwanted sexual harassment'

    Unwanted sexual interest from males is a problem for females across the animal kingdom

Female animals could be deliberately less colourful and decorated to AVOID sexual harassment, says a new study.

University of Exeter scientists believe it could explain why some are less brightly-coloured than male counterparts.

In many species males attract the sexual attention of females with distinctive plumage, markings or displays of some type, reports Science Daily .

But males can also be choosy about their mates, so the lack of similar sexual traits in females remains a mystery.

Professor David Hosken said: "If we accept the premise that males, while not as choosy as females, still exert some choice of mate then the question is why don't females signal their sexual quality via ornamental sexual traits like males do?"


Evan Switzer PhotographyAnimal relationships are complex



"We suggest that if female ornaments signalled their sexual quality, females could suffer increased sexual harassment by males and this could be especially costly to fitness."

It is claimed female animals go to great lengths to avoid male sexual harassment and signal their unattractiveness.

They even disguise themselves as MALES, move to areas where there are fewer males, use anti-aphrodisiacs and fight off unwanted copulation.

"We are not suggesting that male harassment of attractive females is the only explanation for lack of sexual ornamentation in females but want to alert researchers to the idea that this could be a contributing factor," added Professor Hosken.

Previously it has been suggested one of the reasons females stayed without ornamentation was because of a greater need for camouflage.

The research was published in Animal Behaviour by Prof Hosken and Nina Wedell from the Centre for Ecology & Conservation at the University of Exeter's Cornwall Campus, and Professor Suzanne Alonzo, a colleague from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Culled from UK Mirror