The Beak of the Finch
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Epilogue
Themes
All Themes Natural Selection and Evolution as Ongoing Processes Nature and Humanity Evolution, the Modern Era, and Nature’s “Resistance Movement” The Interconnectedness of Species and Ecosystems Hybridization and Specialization
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Jonathan Weiner Charles Darwin Peter and Rosemary Grant Peter Boag Dolph Schluter Trevor Price Lisle Gibbs Captain FitzRoy David Lack Charles Lyell John Endler
Terms
All Terms Adaptive Radiation Creationism Darwin (Unit of Measurement) Darwinism El Niño Hybridization Natural Selection Sexual Selection Stabilizing Selection
Symbols
All Symbols The Beak of the Finch
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The Beak of the Finch

by

Jonathan Weiner
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John Endler Character Analysis

John Endler is a naturalist who became well-known in the 1970s for his research with guppies found in the rivers and streams of northeast South America. Through a series of experiments both in the wild and in controlled laboratory settings, Endler was able to deduce that guppies who were threatened by predators would evolve to have drab, dull spots, while those who lived in safer environments evolved to have brighter, shinier spots meant to attract mates. Endler, Jonathan Weiner writes, is to guppies as the Grants are to finches.

John Endler Quotes in The Beak of the Finch

The The Beak of the Finch quotes below are all either spoken by John Endler or refer to John Endler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Natural Selection and Evolution as Ongoing Processes Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

The answer is that a male guppy has more to do in life than merely survive. It also has to mate. To survive it has to hide among the colored gravel at the bottom of its stream and among the other guppies of its school. But to mate it has to stand out from the gravel and stand out from the school. It has to elude the eyes of the cichlid or the prawn while catching the eyes of the female guppy.

Related Characters: Jonathan Weiner (speaker), John Endler
Natural Selection and Evolution as Ongoing Processes Theme Icon
The Interconnectedness of Species and Ecosystems Theme Icon
Page Number: 91
Explanation and Analysis:
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John Endler Quotes in The Beak of the Finch

The The Beak of the Finch quotes below are all either spoken by John Endler or refer to John Endler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Natural Selection and Evolution as Ongoing Processes Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

The answer is that a male guppy has more to do in life than merely survive. It also has to mate. To survive it has to hide among the colored gravel at the bottom of its stream and among the other guppies of its school. But to mate it has to stand out from the gravel and stand out from the school. It has to elude the eyes of the cichlid or the prawn while catching the eyes of the female guppy.

Related Characters: Jonathan Weiner (speaker), John Endler
Natural Selection and Evolution as Ongoing Processes Theme Icon
The Interconnectedness of Species and Ecosystems Theme Icon
Page Number: 91
Explanation and Analysis:
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