Unravelling the Red Beard--Dark Hair Dyad

Unravelling the Red Beard--Dark Hair Dyad | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Unravelling the Red Beard--Dark Hair Dyad Author : Chika Uzoigwe 0000-0003-2096-8679 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174705144.44646073/v1 239 views 100 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract An enigmatic yet inexplicable human trait is the dark hair-red beard dyad. The prevalence of the ginger beard far exceeds that for red hair. We show that this is another manifestation of the ubiquitous Thayer’s Theorem of countershading. This posits that the inferior/ventral surfaces of organisms, facing away from the sun, are lighter to facilitate camouflage. The highly encephalised human with dominant chin and prominent forehead is thus less distinctive, facilitating hunting and predator evasion. This was likely a natural selective process rather than pogonophilic sexual selection. Extrapolating from Thayer’s paradigm, we show that peacock plumage may represent a unique form of camouflage intended not to protect the peacock but the peahen. The flamboyant apparel sequesters all the attention of would-be predators, rendering the peahen inconspicuous. Females thus select the most striking males. This paradigm is successful because disequilibrium in male-female ratios is not deleterious, given that peacocks tend to appropriate loosely-assembled “harem”. Further peahens undertake all parental duties. Peacocks have a mode of evasion via flight mitigating male attrition. This need for flight acts as a counter-balance to the female selective predilection. Unchecked this would otherwise lead to supererogatory but non-volant phenotypes. We term this uxorial or pascal camouflage. Supplementary Material File (red1.docx) Download 59.70 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords evolutionary ecology terrestrial theory vertebrate Authors Affiliations Chika Uzoigwe 0000-0003-2096-8679 [email protected] Harcourt House View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 239 views 100 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Chika Uzoigwe. Unravelling the Red Beard--Dark Hair Dyad. Authorea . 12 May 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174705144.44646073/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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