Yaël: What's with the ten-gallon hat, Don?

Don: Haven't you heard, Yaël? Males with big heads are better fighters.

Y: I'm sure males with big heads think they are better fighters.

D: It's true. The Chinese have been betting on cricket fights since the Sung Dynasty. As      far back as 800 years ago they claimed that bigger-headed males were better      fighters . It wasn't until recently that scientists put that idea to the test. In their      experiments, they tested male field crickets in competitions where they paired males      with similar body mass and size, but different head sizes. They found that males with      larger heads won more fights than males with smaller heads.

Y: Why do they think that happened?

D: Because crickets with bigger heads have bigger weapons.

Y: Weapons? What kind of weapons?

D: Insects have mouthparts called maxillae and mandibles. Maxillae are used for      swallowing and mandibles for grasping, crushing or cutting food. The size of these      mouthparts depends on head size. They stick out from the front of their head and      make great pincher-like weapons for grappling.

Y: So, what is all the fighting for?

D: Males live in small burrows. I like to think of them as bachelor pads. Only instead of      paying rent, they have to fend off males who may be interested in taking their      territory. The male that gets the bachelor pad, then gets a chance to attract females.      He does this by singing.

Y: I see. Always thinking about getting the girls aren't you, Don?

D: Right now I'm thinking about hats.

Y: Hats?

D: I think I need one of those hats with horns.  

To hear this program click here

A Moment of Science^®