Male Poecilia reticulate Attraction to Brightly-Colored Females

Abstract

         This study explores the mating behavior of guppies, attempting to determine whether male guppies are more attracted to brightly-colored females.  Previous studies done have shown a connection between color, size, and male behavior; however, we would like to perform a study that isolates color as the only focus. For this study, we tested a bright pink fish and a white fish of the same size to see which one the guppy would demonstrate the most mating behavior towards; we predicted that the male guppy would show more mating behaviors towards the bright pink guppy than the white one.  During every trial, the guppy showed more interest in the pink fish than the white fish comparatively, suggesting that the guppy truly is attracted to brightly-colored females.  This information helps researchers understand what attributes males are attracted to and how they can continue to study fish’s reproductive patterns in the future.