During bison mating season, the quietest bulls score the most mates and sire the most offspring while studs with the loudest bellows see the least action, according to a surprising new study by researchers at University of California, Davis, and Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The researchers also found that the volume of a bull’s bellow was not related to its weight or age.
“We were expecting to find that the bigger, stronger guys — the high-quality males — would have the loudest bellows, because they can handle the costs of it,” said Megan Wyman, a graduate student in geography at UC Davis and the lead author of the study. “But instead, we found the opposite. My collaborator in San Diego wanted me to call the paper ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick.’”
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This reminds me of a similar study that found the less dominant males in certain monkey species produced more offspring than the dominant males. The analysis in that study suggested a reason: the dominant male is usually a jerk who bullies the other males and females. The females mate with him because they have to, but run off and mate more with a more submissive, nicer male on the side because they actually like the nicer one. So nice guys do win in the end, don't they? 
Similarly, maybe lady bison don't like to be yelled at, and think the quiet bison are more gentlemanly. Actually, the scientists think the quieter bison have the upper hand because their low calls attract less attention from competition. It's like whispering sweet nothings into the ear of a pretty girl that none of the other guys at the party have noticed yet.
P.S. - Unfortunately, now I can't find any evidence of that monkey study online. I think I heard about it on an episode of Radiolab, which you can find at radiolab.org. If you know about the study I mentioned or would like to correct me, let me know!
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