id you know that the more spots a male peacock has on his tail, the more likely he is to father babies, survive harsh winters and escape predators? Scientists think that only the healthiest males have lots of spots and that is why they are more successful than other males.
Winging it
Winging it A new theory proposing how birds developed the
ability to fly with feathers is that feathers developed for
aerodynamic control in animals which used a leaping mode of
attacking prey. Conventional theory holds that flight developed
because of the advantages the ability to fly gave the first
birds.
The new theory is that animals which pounced on their prey from
above, off of rocks or trees, developed feathers and eventually
flight through a need for better control of their descent onto
their prey. The behaviours and physiology used for this control are
what developed into feathers, wings, and other elements needed for
flight. The theory was developed in part due to fossil evidence of
animals which had feathers and wings, but did not have the other
structures necessary to flight. 28 AUGUST 1999, P. 28-32
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