sexy son hypothesis en · NOUN
Etymology
Coined by P. J. Weatherhead and R. J. Robertson in a paper published in The American Naturalist (1979).
Meanings
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(qualifier:evolutionary theory) The hypothesis, in evolutionary biology, that a female animal's optimal choice among potential mates is a male whose genes will produce male offspring with the best chance of reproductive success, irrespective of the mate's capacity as a caregiver or any other direct benefits he can offer.
Enter the sexy son hypothesis, which says that the peahen was selected to prefer fancy-plumed peacocks because this would increase the chances that her male offspring would inherit a comparably impressive tail and would therefore be especially attractive to the next generation of peahens.
2012, David P. Barash, Homo Mysterious, Oxford University Press, →ISBN: