Peahens prefer to mate with peacocks that have the brightest and largest tail displays.The peacock's tail is,in and of itself,a disadvantage to the males.It is large and cumbersome and the males are more easily caught by predators because of it.Given these facts,why isn't the peacock's tail selected against by natural selection?
A) peacocks lack the mutations to allow selection to work
B) it is working- peacocks are slowly going extinct
C) in spite of the disadvantage, peacocks with larger tails leave more offspring
D) it is selected against but because a peahen gives birth to so many males, the population is not greatly affected
E) this is one of those mysteries of biology

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Despite the disadvantage of a cumbersome tail, peacocks with larger and brighter tail displays are preferred by peahens for mating. This leads to these peacocks leaving more offspring, resulting in the maintenance and even enhancement of the trait over time. This is an example of sexual selection, where the selection pressure may not necessarily be on survival, but on attracting mates.

Peahens Prefer to Mate with Peacocks That Have the Brightest