Auto Tuning Fiddler Essay -- Fiddler Crab, Pacific Ocean

Fiddler crabs live through the Pacific Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean on land (McLain 2010). There are over 100 species and their size ranges from 2.5 to 5 cm wide (McLain 2010). Both of the female claws are small but one of the males claw grows significantly larger and it can weigh up to half their bodies weigh (Murai 2009). Adults will continue to grow by molting as they age (McLain 2010). The male will use his overgrown claw as a status of strength and health but some male fiddler crabs can fake a large claw and still get the same benefits even though he is actually weak (Murai 2009). The size of the male claw varies according to how much nutrients and foods are in his habitat and how much he is able to eat (McLain 2010). Fiddler crab diet consist or algae, bacteria, decaying plants and, animal matter, and fungus (McLain 2010). They try to eat in puddles of water so it is easier to separate food from dirt (McLain 2010). The female crab uses both claws to feed while the male can only use his small claw making it harder to feed (McLain 2010). The male crabs will fight over territory for resources (McLain 2010). Before males fight they exhibit their big claw and if neither one backs away they will fight (Hirose 2010). In most fights they wrestle around for show and rarely get hurt (Hirose 2010). If they happen to lose their big claw during a fight or its lost to a predator the small claw will begin to grow while the other is regenerated (Murai 2009). The new claw will grow to be just like the old one, but some males can manipulate its growth and grow a new claw that looks like the original but uses less nutrients to produce because its lighter and toothless (Murai 2009). This fake claw is we... ...w or they just can’t find large portions of food to grow back or support a big claw (McLain 2010). The females are attracted to healthy big claw males (Muramatsu 2001).According to natural selection the males unable to have a healthy life will not reproduce (Muramatsu 2001). Some of these crabs that have a tough time will get so desperate to be successful they will grow a fake claw that cost less resources to grow/maintain and looks exactly the same as a normal one with the exception that its lighter, has no teeth and its weaker (McLain 2010). Neither males nor females will know the difference (Murai 2009). The other males will respect him for having a stronger claw and the females will be attracted to him for having a better wave/mating ritual (Murai 2009). These crabs cheat natural selection by faking superiority making natural selection irrelevant (Murai 2009).