![marlene zuk animal models and gender marlene zuk animal models and gender](http://www.umt.edu/president/imx/lecturers/2005-2006/zuk.jpg)
![marlene zuk animal models and gender marlene zuk animal models and gender](https://pi.tedcdn.com/r/pe.tedcdn.com/images/ted/4e0fba524c3292d2b07cd8bd0a03b19e7a363854_254x191.jpg)
![marlene zuk animal models and gender marlene zuk animal models and gender](https://d3i71xaburhd42.cloudfront.net/b27f3412fbdbbc17ddd0fb4f0ee1ee8aa652d499/9-Figure2-1.png)
In the specific example of males going to Ping on Friday afternoons to get their “weekly buff” is an illustration of males trying to stretch the truth about their biological traits by going out on the weekend looking stronger than they really are. Peacocks and humans share the notion that they want the best traits to be passed on to their offspring, but the traits in and of themselves are different in this case. If humans lived in an atmosphere similar to that of a peacock, strength would be essential to survival, so being muscular shows to females that you are well-suited to protect them and provide them with equally strong offspring. Muscles on a man, on the other hand, actually provide an evolutionary advantage in society. However, the feathers of a male peacock do not provide an evolutionary purpose, and in fact makes it harder for them to survive in the wild. The female peacocks do value the ornamentation of extravagant feathers the same way human females take into account the aesthetics of a man’s physique. This is evident in the peacock example you discussed. Zuk speaks to this point by concluding her essay with acknowledging that while evolutionary biology can explain aspects of human behavior, that does not mean that “men and women inherit templates of irreversible behavior.” This is a great comparison between mating actions of peacocks and humans, but a contrast exists between the two as well. It cannot be considered cheating if there isn't any norms or laws to be broken.
![marlene zuk animal models and gender marlene zuk animal models and gender](https://www.lakeforest.edu/Public/OCM/300x300_Faculty/Anne_Houde_300x300.png)
A single animal model for the origin of sex does not exist because mammals are less likely to be seen as monogamous creatures in their natural habitat. Men and women are not the same from both a physiological and evolutionary standpoint. The amount of female offspring is limited meaning females want males with the best traits that can be passed on to their offspring. The female choice depends on a male having the most ornaments, as Zuk describes. The male versus male competition arises in the weight room and can be related to more feathers because women will be looking for a male figure that has more muscle mass than the next one. The trait of more feathers evolved because of the females preferring that particular trait to any other. The female peacocks look for males with more feathers, even though it is harder for them to evade predators and fly away to safety. This idea relates to Zuk's article in the peacock experiment. Being physically fit could be one of these needs depending on the female. This is a form of sexual selection because the ladies out on the prowl that particular evening will be looking for a male that best fits their needs. The typical "meat heads" will be in the weight room from Monday through Friday, but others are just going for their weekly buff before heading out. Before male students get ready for their weekend festivities, they all have extra time to hit the gym. We see this act in our everyday life with how packed the weight room at Ping becomes on friday afternoons. Marlene describes sexual selection as the differential reproduction occurring because of an individual's ability to acquire the best and/or most mates, not because of survival ability. Zuk goes on to tell how the connection between our sexual behavior and that of other species can be liberating rather than restrictive. This thought arises from the animal kingdom and most accept the evolutionary heritage and follow along with a life of oppression. An idea brought up in the article is that men are naturally dominant, while women are naturally submissive. A few weeks back we had a discussion over the article written by Marlene Zuk titled 'Animal Models and Gender' discussing the correlation between human and animal mating habits.