8 years ago
3
The Physics of Peacock Tail Feathers Is Even More Dazzling Than We Realized
Male peacocks shake their brilliantly-hued, long tail feathers to attract females in a courtship display known as “train-rattling.” But scientists had never closely examined the biomechanics behind this behavior—until now. A new paper in PLOS One concludes that the frequency at which those feathers vibrate can enhance this iridescent display—even as the eyespots remain almost perfectly still.
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Be sure to check out the video in the article. It has examples of train-rattling shown in slow motion so you can really see the effect of the feathers vibrating while the eye of the feather is seemingly still.
Random thought - I'm often amused or sometimes just puzzled as to the suggested tribes when creating a snap. I think sometimes the software picks up on something on the page which leads to a suggestion that has nothing to do with the article. Sometimes, though, I just don't see where it's coming from. A couple of the top suggested tribes for this snap were /t/swingdancing and /t/spiders.
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