Female penguins in some species are more likely to choose fatter mates, according to researchers from Auckland University.
In fact, Adelie penguins use calls to tell prospective mates how fat they are and what kind of father they’d make – the fatter, the better.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“The courtship calls told females how fat a male was and what kind of father he’d be, said her co-author, Associate Professor Dianne Brunton of Massey University. Fatter males made better fathers because they had good energy reserves and were less likely to leave the nest and desert their chicks.
“”A fat male is a good choice for a female because males do so much of the offspring care,” said Prof Brunton. “They’re able to incubate the eggs for longer and use up their fat stores, while skinny males aren’t able to do that.””