Photo: Monstera

What color are lions attracted to?

After five years watching lions circle and sniff mannequins in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, West thinks she has the answer. Females prefer a brunette male to a blonde one, she and colleague Craig Packer have found.

nature.com - Lionesses prefer brunettes - Nature

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Lionesses like their mates butch, dark and hairy. Using life-sized dummies with detachable wigs, researchers in Africa have found that female lions favour mates with a dark head of hair1. Lions' manes sprout at adolescence, in a surprising range of styles - shoulder-length or cropped, black or fair. "One question that's never been answered is why," says Peyton West of the University of Minnesota in St Paul. After five years watching lions circle and sniff mannequins in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, West thinks she has the answer. Females prefer a brunette male to a blonde one, she and colleague Craig Packer have found. Males with high levels of testosterone grow darker hair. These males may be more aggressive and therefore better at defending mates and cubs. "The real reason lions have manes is to signal their health and parenting ability to other lions," says West. "It sounds a very plausible theory," says Tim Clutton-Brock, who studies animal evolution at the University of Cambridge, UK. People had assumed that manes evolved to protect the head during fights, he says. Although this may be why they first evolved, other lions' taste in hair may have driven the evolution of length and style. But like the peacock's tail and other animal adornments that lure the ladies, dark hair comes at a price. Brunette animals, like men in tight trousers, "have hotter balls and less sperm", says West. She filmed lions in the Serengeti and in Kenya's Tsavo National Park, using an infrared camera that measures how much heat radiates from the body. In fact, lions' hair, like men's, reveals a lot about age, health and hormones. Youths and grandpas tend to have shorter manes, and the starved or injured lose their locks. Males therefore prefer to threaten males with longer and lighter hair, West has found. "It makes sense to approach the guy who is least likely to pick a fight," she says.

Stuffed toys

It's hard to get hold of stuffed lions. So a toy factory made West four custom-built lion dummies with clip-on manes - either bouffant or clipped - in shades of dark brown or tawny. The unwieldy animals "arrived in their own private jet", says West; the team then grappled them into a specially constructed trailer. "It was a nightmare," she says.

Darker manes make males hotter. Credit: © Science

They offloaded two dummies downwind of a pride in the park, and dressed them in either long and short, or dark and light manes. Nearby lions, attracted by broadcasted calls of hyenas at a kill, circled and approached to sniff under the dummies' tails.

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What pet does not bite?

countryliving.com - 10 Safe Dog Breeds Least Likely to Bite, Nip and Snap

Labrador Retrievers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Newfoundlands are among the safest dog breeds that are least likely to bite, new research has found. While any dog can nip, these breeds are known for their particularly sweet-tempered spirit as long as they are treated right. According to The Scotsman, French Bulldogs are unlikely to snap at humans due to their calming nature, meanwhile the Labrador Retriever is renowned for its friendly and loving personality. "The Labrador certainly seems to be man's best friend in this country, and has reigned for decades as 'top dog' for good reason," Bill Lambert, Senior Health and Welfare Manager at The Kennel Club, previously told Country Living. "As a firm family favourite, they generally have a fantastic and steady temperament – they are loving and full of personality, great with kids, intelligent and eager to please making them easy to train." Other pups that are unlikely to bite include Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Bernese Mountain Dogs and Beagles — an affectionate breed that makes them suitable for various owners. It's important to remember that even some of the most well-behaved dogs can occasionally bite people. According to the Dogs Trust, some of the most common reasons a dog may exhibit aggression towards someone include feeling fearful or frustrated, being defensive, guarding others or intimidation. Paying close attention to your dog's behaviour will help you spot when things are leading to aggression.

On that note, take a look at the full list below...

10 safe dog breeds that are least likely to bite

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