How Females Choose Their Mates; Battle of the Sexes; Exclusive Online Issues; by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Jean-Guy J. Godin; 6 Page(s)

Picture a man who has a way with the ladies, and a character not unlike James Bond may spring to mind. He's clever, classy, fearless and flashy--characteristics that are almost universally appealing to the opposite sex. Throw in the powerful sports car, and you have a nearly irresistible combination.

That females often flock to the most ostentatious males is not a phenomenon unique to humans. In many different species, successful males--those that sire the most offspring--are often larger or more brightly colored or "show off" with more vigorous courtship displays.