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In a 2026 experiment, male green swordtails repeatedly selected larger virtual females, while females’ choices did not settle on one shared appearance. The fish chose among moving screen images—not live mates—and the nine generations were algorithmically generated candidates, not generations of breeding fish.
What did the swordtails choose?
The male fish’s selected virtual females grew larger across the sequence. The University of Exeter’s 29 September 2026 release reports that final-generation virtual females were, on average, more than 24% larger than first-generation ones. The release does not establish that this was a 24% increase in body length or that larger females produced more offspring.
Females’ choices varied rather than converging on one shared virtual-male phenotype. The study record says females preferred their final iterated phenotype, which suggests individual variation—not an absence of preference.
The experiment involved green swordtails (Xiphophorus hellerii), so its findings should not be generalized to every swordtail species. The study record and abstract describe the method as a proof of concept.
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How did the virtual mate-choice experiment work?
Fish chose between moving images
The University of Exeter reports that researchers tested 12 males and 11 females individually. Each fish had three minutes to swim while moving images of virtual fish appeared on either side of its tank. Researchers measured how long it spent near each image. That association time—not a mating or breeding outcome—was the choice measure.
Selected traits shaped later candidates
When a fish showed a preference, the selected digital fish contributed traits to a new set of virtual options, along with traits from another selected fish. Researchers repeated this algorithmic process for nine generations. The fish did not mate with the virtual candidates, and no live offspring generations were produced.
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Kathryn Bullough of the University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation described the approach this way: “Our new approach allowed fish to ‘design’ their ideal partner, with genetic algorithms creating new sets of options for fish to choose from, allowing them to refine their preferences.” This quotation appears in the university’s research release, not an independently checked interview transcript.
What the results do—and do not—show
A screen-based preference, not proof of real-world mating
Spending more time near an image supports a conclusion about preference in this particular screen-based setup. It does not show that a fish would mate with that phenotype in a live encounter, that its preference would lead to greater reproductive success, or that wild green swordtails share the same preference.
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Why males may have selected larger females remains an interpretation
The university release suggests larger females may be able to produce more offspring as one possible explanation for the males’ size preference. The experiment did not measure offspring production, so that explanation is not a finding from this trial.
Female choices were diverse
The study record reports that simulated preference models indicated the female results could not be explained by random drift alone. It does not establish one common female preference. The release also notes that one female’s selected virtual mates became increasingly female-like; why is unclear. Avoidance of threatening male traits is offered only as a possibility, not a demonstrated explanation.
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The abstract-level study record does not provide verified detailed model specifications, statistical results, or supplementary analyses here, so no effect sizes or significance values can be stated. Dr Laura Kelley said in the university release: “A study like this using real fish would take years, and our new method provides a powerful tool to understand how wild animals choose their mates.”
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