Weekend quote - Amotz Zahavi

Much of the fighting that goes on between rivals of the same species is ritual fighting; The goal is not to injure or kill the opponent, but to convince it and others that it is the weaker and should withdraw from the contest. The initiator of the fight does not even try to surprise its opponent; rather it signals clearly that a fight is imminent and lets its rival prepare itself, only after its opponent has assumed the appropriate stance does the aggressor strike -- and then only at a predicted target that does not cause a lot of damage. CC Image by Martin iam_photography From The Handicap Principle : A Missing Piece of Darwin's Puzzle By Amotz Zahavi Professor of Zoology Tel-Aviv University, Beit Dagon, Avishag Zahavi Professor Emerita of Plant Physiology Volcani Center