Poecilia reticulata Males like Big Caudal Fins and They Cannot Lie

Abstract

In this experiment, we tested whether male guppies would prefer true orange female models with a larger caudal fin or one with a normal size fin. We tested this by placing the model in a tank that was sectioned off with three zones; the left response zone, the right response zone, and the center neutral zone. On average, we found the males to prefer the side with the large, experimental caudal fin model compared to the time spent on the control model’s side. Some males even presented few mating behaviors towards the experimental model as well supporting our hypothesis. Confounding variables of this experiment may have been too much noise in the lab, shiny backing in the fish tanks, and too bright of colors being worn by researchers.