The Bachelor: The Correlation between Female Body Size and Male Attraction

Abstract

 Guppies have been used in research for years as a focus for fish behavior because their obvious mating patterns and high reproductive rates. Although they have been researched for a long time, there is very little research on characteristics male guppies look for in female mates. According to Dosen (2004), male guppies prefer larger females which characterizes great fecundity. We ran preliminary trials that tested different models of females (color or size) against a grey control. With the prelims in mind, we designed our own experimental model (a model with a deeper body) that we believed would be favored by a male guppy. We hypothesized that a female guppy with a deeper chest would be more attractive as a mate. We placed the control and Deep Body model in a tank with a single male fish and repeated this 10 times. The fish did not show any mating behaviors to either model. This may lead to a study in the sexual preferences of some male guppies or narcissist behavior.