As a rule of thumb, the males of most species of birds tend to be flamboyant. The males often have brighter plumage, which helps them with attracting a female. There are several species where the sexual dimorphism is very distinct, like peacocks and ostriches. Some have even more noticeable differences.
Leslie was a good example of this as a male magnificent frigatebird. It might be easy to mistake him for a black seagull or possibly some type of pelican given the red pouch on his neck. This neck pouch inflated with air, much like a frog's. This was part of the frigatebird's attempts to attract a mate. It was certainly an odd choice to become an Animalian based on this bird. But then, Leslie himself was a rather unusual man. It was quite apparent from the day he first appeared at Horizon Labs.
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"Are you...certain you want this particular bird?" asked one scientist.
"Oh, absolutely," said Leslie. He was a rather big guy, obviously a professional bodybuilder.
"You realize that there are no take-backs," said the other scientist.
"Well, not now, I suppose," said Leslie, "But I'm bet someone in the future will figure a way to reverse transformations. That would get a lot of political pressure off you guys."
"Er, I suppose," said the first scientist. Though not very much effort has been made into finding a 'cure' for the Animalian virus, not since Jeremy had given up. By all indications, the Animalian virus was irreversible and if there ever was a way to undo it, it would probably be discovered by complete accident.
"But still, there are other birds you can choose to splice with," said the second scientist, "Why a frigatebird?"
"And why choose to change at all?" asked the first scientist.
"Because the frigatebird is such a majestic bird, much faster than some people would think," said Leslie, "And to be honest, I've hit a bit of a rut in my career. As the old song goes, 'I've reached the top and had to stop and that's what bothering me'. Besides, there aren't enough avian bodybuilders in Animalia. I could be starting a new trend."
"Sure you could," said the first scientist, "Well, I think we can get you set up."
While Leslie was in the changing room, the second scientist said, "Some people will do the weirdest things to get attention."
"That's true," said the first scientist, "It's odd that we haven't gotten many seabirds."
"Well, I doubt there are many people who want to become a seagull," said the second scientist, "They're so extremely common and they have a reputation for being very annoying. And I would think a pelican's neck pouch would be rather awkward to deal with."
"Well, actually I was thinking of another seabird: the albatross," said the first scientist.
"I've heard some discussion about that," said the second scientist, "There are some people who'd like to see an albatross Animalian fly around the world."
"Yeah, and they'd like to see if a Quetzalcoatlus Dinotopian can keep up with that," said the first scientist, "Might not be happening anytime soon though."
"Why not?" asked the second scientist.
"Well, first of all, there's the season to consider. It'll be cold flying for a good part of the year now. Also the north and south hemispheres have different seasons and sticking to the equator will make it a longer flight," said the first scientist.
"Yeah, and then there's rest stops," said the second scientist, "I mean, an albatross can fly very, very far, but it needs to rest at some point. I'm not sure how long a Quetzalcoatlus can go, but it would need to rest eventually. And we wouldn't want them flying into areas where they could be shot by superstitious locals or hostile territories."
"Maybe they'll do like 'Around the World in 80 Days'," said the first scientist.
Further pondering was put on pause when Leslie walked out, wearing his new black feathers and a red banana hammock. "What do you think, boys?" asked Leslie, flexing his muscles. He did look very buff under those feathers and he did have an impressive wingspan behind him. The inflated throat pouch was a little much though.
The two scientists (both men) turned to each other. "Are you feeling the least bit sexually aroused?" asked the second scientist.
"Not at all," said the first scientist.
"Me neither. I think we can safely call ourselves heterosexual," said the second.
"Your loss," said Leslie offhandedly.
"Sir, we at Horizon Labs respect the different choices of our clients and what they want to do with themselves," said the first scientist.
"And yet, I musk ask you in the name of decency to put on some pants," said the second scientist.