Why do deer shed their antlers? Could you just walk up to a deer and take their antler off without hurting them?
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I’ll add there was a biological theory I was taught back when called the “Spatula Theory” which says sometimes deliberately detrimental features can be selected for via sexual attraction.
For example in this sense, let’s allow that having the biggest, strongest antlers is correlated to being a really fit organism and getting the opportunity to reproduce more effectively. Let’s allow that part of it is that female deer are *choosing* mates based on having big, impressive antlers.
Now growing antlers is nutritionally demanding so there is clearly a benefit to *not* losing them, to just growing the biggest most impressive set once and being done with it. BUT what if a male deer loses their antlers and STILL grows a new totally impressive set every spring. On order to do so it would imply that deer is so well fit, so well adapted and strong and hardy that it’s basically showing off every spring. Female deer will chose that male to mate with because he’s basically flexing on all the other deer. That’s the spatula theory, the inheritance of undesirable traits under sexual selection to highlight the “most fit” individuals.
Another example could be birds with wildly brilliant plumage that is like the opposite of camouflage. If a bird can survive and try and mate while clearly being an easy target for all predators, it *must* be a prime example of a super hardy organism.
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