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Article: Bite-Force Performance Predicts Dominance in Male Venerable Collared Lizards (Crotaphytus antiquus)
- Article from:
- Copeia
- Article date:
- May 26, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists May 26, 2006. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The evolution of exaggerated structures that function as weapons in sexually dimorphic species is often explained by intra-sexual selection related to male combat, as these structures are used in fights among males and can determine dominance during such interactions. In many lizard species, males have a larger head than females, a condition attributed to intra-sexual selection. Although head size has been shown to predict dominance in lizards, the way that head size influences dominance remains unclear. We staged interactions between body size-matched male Venerable Collared Lizards (Crotaphytus antiquus) in the laboratory to test the hypothesis that harder-biting males would be dominant ...