In nature the attraction between mates is determined by a philosophy of survival of the fittest. The mate that is chosen is the one that is most likely to breed strong, healthy offspring. In many animal societies the alpha male will be the only male in the pack, and it will be his job to impregnate the females in order for the species to survive.

Many of the male members of the human world look upon this strange situation with a small touch of wistfulness. What would it be like to have your own harem? What they cannot see is that the alpha male has become the alpha male not by birthright but by having proved over and over again that he is strong enough and intelligent enough to lead the pack-and to keep it. When the alpha male is challenged by another male for possession of his pack he must fight to keep it or it will be taken away from him. This is, again, to ensure that the species survives; the one who wins the right to be an alpha male is the one most likely to father strong offspring.

Of course, that's all very good for the animal kingdom, but how does this pertain to the human world? Simple. Humans have their alpha males too, the criteria by which they are classified is just a bit different. There are many different ways by which a male can be classified as alpha.

• The powerful alpha. This is the man who wields the most power, both in their place of business and among their community of friends. Women who are attracted to this type of alpha have probably fixed their sites on a business tycoon or a politician, if not royalty. These women want position and the power that it brings.

• The intellectual alpha. These are the men who are able to provide brilliant dissertations on any topic. These will probably go forth to receive PhDs and save the world. Most of these will be found spending their lives in their offices or laboratories working side by side with their mates.

• The military alpha. Women love a man in uniform, and the more bars and stripes he happens to be sporting the better. These men have power, a sense of adventure and incredible stories to tell over the dinner table (assuming, of course, that the majority of the conversations they have about their lives do not contain the words, "That's classified"). Their mates can also count on them to be out of the country for the better part of the year so that a livable harmony never has to be developed.

• The "bad boy" alpha. This alpha takes many forms. He may be military or law enforcement-black ops or undercover, of course. He will have a shady past that he never reveals and at least one criminal element has issued a price on his head. He will wear black and not converse a great deal, assuming that the women he is with will know what it is that he wants.

• The artistic alpha. This will be the man who sells his paintings in a downtown museum but has had showings in Italy and France. He will have a small cottage on the beach and he and whoever his lady of the moment is will spend their days (and nights) home eating strawberries dipped in chocolate and reciting poetry to each other.

Sound familiar? Every man in the world has known someone who fits into one of these categories and every woman has wanted to date one. They are the few, the proud, the alpha males.