Male Mate Choice: How Coloration and Size in Guppies Affect Attraction

Abstract

Many factors contribute to attraction in animals. In this experiment, we aimed to discover the qualities that affect the mating choice of male guppies. We hypothesized that the guppies would show the most attraction toward the larger, brightly-colored models. We tested this by using plastic guppy models of different colors and sizes to examine which models evoked the most mating displays in the male guppies. Our hypothesis was not supported as the guppies showed no clear preference for any of the models.  We concluded that an experiment using real female guppies would be more effective as visual patterns seem to be more important than solid colors.