Actually I did read somewhere
that the one bit male biologists like to forget to talk about, is if that scenario is correct then it makes sense for women to have sex with as many men as possible within that period of fertility. It's not actually a case of selecting the best partner at all. I could be wrong but it's an interesting take on it.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 17 Jan 2011, 16:10, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

if that were the case
then what would be the point of the fighting and displays etc. designed for the male to show they are the best?
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 17 Jan 2011, 16:16, Reply)

That works if the process of gestation and giving birth is as straightforward as going for a haircut.
Unfortunately it's not. We have a nine-month gestation period, which uses up time that could otherwise be spent being fertile. Also, as a species, our offspring spend several years being dependent on their parents for food and shelter. In this case, it is therefore beneficial to the survival of the offspring if the father sticks around to help provide food (as opposed to Mum going out to forage and leaving the children vulnerable). However, this is also an incentive not to get knocked up by a different partner in the meantime - Dad is less likely to stick around to raise the kids if he can't be sure they're his own. This therefore limits Mum's options, so it makes sense to be more choosy about the partner if it might be her only one.
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 17 Jan 2011, 16:42, Reply)