Deceiving females is not confined to human lotharios, a study at the University of Liverpool has shown, as it seems the male topi antelope is quite an operator too.

Scientists studying topi bucks observed them snorting and looking intently ahead when an available female began to stray from their territory.

The behaviour suggests there is a dangerous predator ahead, such as a lion or cheetah. But the male topi's signals were false ones designed to fool the female into staying close by.

Keeping the frightened female secure in his territory increases the male's chances of mating, but deliberate deception of a sexual partner has not been documented before in animals. The scientists studied the topi antelopes for four years in Kenya's Masai Mara game reserve.

Lead researcher Jakob Bro-Jorgensen said: "Our study showed that males quite frequently pull this trick on the females in heat and one might ask why females keep responding to alarms at all.

"The answer seems to be that females are better off erring on the side of caution, because failing to react to a true alarm could easily mean death in a place like the Masai Mara where it is full of predators.

"This study reveals a new weapon used by animals in the battle of the sexes: while it is well known that males sometimes use their superior strength to force unwilling females, it is a new discovery that they may also actively falsify signals to get their own way."

The research is reported in the journal The American Naturalist. Until now, animals have only been known to practice deception in hostile situations or self defence.

The plover bird will feign a broken wing to lead a predator away from its nest, and certain bird species use false alarm calls to distract competitors away from food.

Male vervet monkeys also use fake alarms to dissolve conflict, and chimpanzees will pretend there is danger nearby to keep rivals from potential mates.