The peacock’s tail is often used as the prototypical example of the evolution of a trait that confers a reproductive (and not a survival) advantage. The tail’s iridescent colors, symmetric patterns, ...

Fievel’s American Tails (1992) Season 1 is animated action-adventure television series, follows Fievel, a small Russian mouse, as he escapes the clutches of the evil Cat R. Waul, who wears a monocle ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. Well, if ...

Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment.View full profile Rachael has a degree in Zoology ...

The peacock’s tail is a classic example of an overly exaggerated, sexually selected trait that comes at a cost -- all that elaborate plumage must slow them down, right? That's not the case according ...

Why do peacocks grow such an elaborate tail to attract a mate? After all, their unwieldy plumage makes them much more liable to being eaten by a predator or killed by a more agile rival. Charles ...

Have you heard about Charles Darwin's lesser-know theory of evolution: sexual selection? We all know Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, right? Natural selection? But what about his lesser-know ...

In 1871, Charles Darwin introduced his theory of sexual selection by female choice in The Descent of Man. He suggested females of a species would exhibit a preference for beauty and ornamentation when ...

Soviet animated cartoon film of 1946 based on a fairy tale by Korney Chukovsky, created by directors Leonid Amalrik and Vladimir Polkovnikov. United with similar creative aspirations, the directors ...

Tails might look like nature’s afterthought but for many animals, they’re multitasking power tools. Whether it’s balancing, fighting, flirting, or escaping predators, tails do way more than just wag.