An example of anthropomorphism in public science discourse:
"…in fish, it is actually the male who makes the nest and provides care for the eggs until they're hatched and grown, and so the females want the biggest, strongest male who can last until the babies are grown."
Science writer Amorina Kingdom was talking on an episode ('Animals – up close and talking') of BBC's 'Start the Week'.
I consider this an example of anthropomorphism as it implies that the female fish are making a conscious choice of males using knowledge about the males' role in breeding, and indeed understanding that mating results in producing eggs (conceptualised as 'babies') that can potentially become adult fish. This seems very unlikely! Rather instincts have developed because they have been selected where they lead to greater reproductive success.
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