This is a side-blotched lizard male, and this orange colored one is also a side-blotched
lizard male, and so is this yellow-throated fellow.
They might look different, but are all the same species, and have been playing a perpetual
cycle of rock paper scissors for 15 million years.
I'm Mario and This Is Real.
The side-blotched lizard is named after the dark-colored patch behind its front feet.
And, although it might not look that impressive at a first glance, this lizard has been playing
a never-ending game of rock paper scissors long before humans have.
It is all about their colors.
As weird as it sounds, these three males are all the same species, but each color has a
unique behavior.
Orange ones, also known as ultra-dominant males are the largest and the most powerful
morphs.
They are tough and aggressive and have large territories and lots of females.
Blues, aka dominant males, have a medium size.
They have smaller territories and are monogamous, which means that they mate with only one female,
and are always around her.
And last, but not least there are the Yellow-throated morphs – aka the sneakers.
They don't hold territories and are the smallest and the least powerful of the three,
but are sneaky and can mimic females to fool the other males.
So what does that have to do with Rock Paper Scissors?
The rules of this game are simple: Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper and paper beats
rock.
And it is the same for the three different colors: orange beats blue because Oranges
are larger and more powerful than blues, so they can steal their females.
Blue beats yellow because the monogamous blues are vigilant and don't let yellows steal
their females.
And yellow beats orange because oranges can't look after all their females at once, so the
sneaky yellows steal them.
Sometimes, yellow-throated males can become blue during mating seasons if a nearby blue
dies.
Not only do they change their color, but they also adapt the behavior of a blue male, giving
up on their female mimicry.
Another fascinating fact about blues is that they are not competitive with other blues
and actually warn each other when intruders are nearby, doing those weird little pushups.
They have been observed to risk their lives for other blues which is a behavior called
altruism.
So you might think that over the course of some generations one color will prevail over
the others.
For example, the altruistic blues could win.
But that hasn't happened because each color is kept in check by the other two due to that
rock paper scissors cycle.
And if one morph does happen to become scarce, females bring it back on track, because they
actually prefer the rarest male color.
And this strategy has been working for 15 million years and it looks like this amazing
game of rock paper scissors will continue for a long time.
I hope you enjoyed the first episode of This Is Real.
I have a lot more interesting videos about animals so subscribe for more upcoming ones
and if you really like what I make consider supporting me on patreon.
Respect Animals.
For more infomation >> Keller @ Large: Is The Economy Slowing? Tax Expert Weighs In - Duration: 3:57. 
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