Courtship Behaviour

 In Biology class, we have been covering the topic of animal response and behaviour as to how they got their food resources and how their characteristics give them benefits that allow them to survive and mate. One of the behaviours we have learnt in class is how animals behave when looking for a mate. They also have a behaviour called courtship. Courtship is described as mate-selection rituals, this behaviour may involve animals doing many complicated things, such as dancing, touching, vocalisations, visual displays of bright colours, size or fighting prowess or via pheromones. Every courtships behaviours are different for each individual even if they are same species. The males are usually the one who are performing this ritual and females are the one that selects or rejects the male individual. 

One of the known samples of courtship in animals is the courtship behaviour of peacocks. To find a potential mate, a peacock would unravel their tail feathers in a certain way to show off their bright and distinctive colour to a peahen. This behaviour is an example of displaying their beauty. But their distinctive colour also has a meaning to it, if the peahen has selected the peacock due to its colour, it suggests that this specific peacock has the best fitness, hence why they are selected. Also, females consider their physical features to ensure that their mate is fit so that they could have a high chance of survival. And also they can have important consequences for the reproductive success and overall fitness of individuals within a population. 

Potato Tools

 In level 3 Biology class, we tried to recreate some of the stone tools that were made and used by our early ancient hominids. Instead of recreating it using an actual stone, we have used four potatoes and a knife to chop or curve the shape that we desire for each tool culture - Oldowan, Aucheulean, Moustreian, and Upper Paleolithic. 

According to scientists, it is believed that the appearance of the stone tools occurs approximately during the middle of climate change in Africa. The climate was changing and it becoming drier and colder, causing the environment of hominids to change, from having lots of trees to savannah. Because of the changes in the climate and the habitat, they become more exposed to others becoming prey. These tools that were hominids made would have provided them with an adaptive advantage, particularly in getting food sources. 

As we can see in the stone tools that were made starting from Oldowan tools to Acheuean tools to Mousterian tools and lastly to Upper Paleolithic tools, we can see development and how the quality of the tools increases. This means that as the quality of the tools increases, the number of blows that the hominids did to get to the tools that they require also increases. Also, this means that since the quality of the tools is getting better as the hominids progress, they use the tools to require food resources. And because the tools are getting better early hominids were able to obtain food with better nutrients, hence, allowing them to get enough nutrients for their brains. Getting enough energy for the brain is very essential for brain development and function. If the brain were able to function, it means that it would have the ability to get better food and a higher chance of hunting in a collective group.