sexy son hypothesis

English

Etymology

Coined by P. J. Weatherhead and R. J. Robertson in a 1979 paper published in The American Naturalist.

Noun

sexy son hypothesis

1. (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.
   • 2012, David P. Barash, Homo Mysterious‎^[1], Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

     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.

See also

• sexual selection
• Fisherian runaway