Cow moose know how to provoke fights among bulls, scientist says

[The Straight Story]

Cow moose know how to provoke fights among bulls, scientist says

As one U.K. pundit notes, "Researchers ... have proved that moose mating rituals follow a similar pattern to that displayed among humans in Newcastle pubs on a Friday night." That is, cow moose apparently like to see bulls fighting over them. A research team that studied moose in Denali National Park has found that females are more likely to "moan" in protest to a potential male suitor when that suitor is smaller than others. "This behavior by females helped them avoid harassment by smaller males but also provoked fights between large males," researcher Terry Bowyer of the University of Idaho told the BBC.

...

By observing the moose during the mating season, the scientists discovered another level of complexity to the females' communication.

"Female moose gave protest moans more often in response to courtship by small males, even though the large males engaged in more courtship," said Dr Bowyer.


Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/08/02/1996917/cow-moose-know-how-to-provoke.html#ixzz1Tz4Aq0dX

[provis99]

1. heh. Explains a few women I know.

More than once a female has tried to lure me into a bar fight with her boyfriend over her; I was always shocked at their amoral behavior, but moose behavior explains it.

[razorman]

2. This is probably true of virtually every species; particularly mammals.

[saras]

3. I always wish they included more detail in both the studies and the reporting

First question - Is size really the only thing governing this behavior, or do the cows include other signs of fitness or not-fitness in their choices?

[MineralMan]

4. Hmm..."protest moans?"

Moose are not like humans, I think. If I remember correctly from my turbulent teen years, moans generally meant "Do continue what you're doing, please."

When a protest was meant, other sounds were used, use language, and were more direct: "No." "I don't like that." "I don't like you that way." "What do you think you're doing?" "Knock it off!"

This is all too complicated for me, I'm afraid.