Scientists have used a robotic crab to show that female fiddler crabs prefer males who can wave off the competition.
Reportagem: Jennifer Carpenter
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To the fiddler crabs, the Australian mudflats in the north of the country are a heaving dance floor, where a male must rely on his moves to attract a mate.
Male crabs attract passing females by waving their large yellow claws. If a female fancies a male, she will disappear down his burrow in the sand, and if she likes the hole as much as she likes the wave, she'll stay and mate.
But how do females choose between all of these waving suitors? Now a team from the Australian National University in Canberra have worked out what female crabs are looking for in a mate.
Sat beneath the unforgiving Australian sun, the researchers set up three fully adjustable robotic arms, that they are calling the Robocrab. Robocrab allows the researchers to vary the speed of the waves and the size of the claws.
The team showed that females prefer males with larger claws, and more vigorous waves, especially if the male is flanked by two less athletic wavers.
It seems, for the fiddler crabs at least, it pays to beef up, but hang out with weedy friends.
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heaving (muito ocupado, cheio) very busy
moves (melhores passos de dança) best dancing movements
a mate (parceiro sexual) sexual partner
fancies (acha atraente - informal) finds attractive (informal)
suitors (possíveis parceiros - um termo antigo) potential partners (an old fashoned term)
unforgiving (inclemente) continuosly harsh
vigorous (forte e cheio de energia) strong and energetic
to beef up (crescer e se fortalecer) to become big and strong
hang out with (passar com ele/ela um tempo de lazer) spend leisure time with
weedy (fraco) weak