Nature - Season 26 - Eps 9: What Females Want and Males Will Do (1)
In the animal world females often call the shots. But their decisions may be surprising. In an effort to understand the mating game, NATURE follows biologist Chadden Hunter, PhD, through the Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia, as he observes a troop of geladas, close cousins of baboons. He found that in gelada society females make all the decisions about mating, even though males are twice their size. The males are evaluated on everything from body heat to baby sitting skills. And once selected, no male gelada can ever rest on his laurels. Another male is always auditioning for his job. You’ll also see female barn swallows that choose a male by the color of his chest and encounter a robotic sage grouse that is helping researchers learn about this species’ elaborate courtship displays.
About Nature

Title: Nature
First Air Date: 1982-10-10
Last Air Date: 2025-05-07
Status: Returning Series
Rating: 8.1/10 (from 37 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 44
Total Episodes: 679
Network: PBS
Genres: Documentary, Family
Production Companies: Thirteen, Coneflower Films Studios, Trebitsch Produktion International GmbH, Rubin Tarrant Productions
Synopsis
Consistently stunning documentaries transport viewers to far-flung locations ranging from the torrid African plains to the chilly splendours of icy Antarctica. The show's primary focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world. A comic book based on the show, meant to be used an as educational tool for kids, was briefly distributed to museums and schools at no cost in the mid-2000s.