 Males that have been unable to court a female successfully may try to achieve reproductive success in other ways . In sunfish species , like the bluegill , larger , older males known as parental males , which have successfully courted a female , construct nests for the eggs they fertilise . Smaller satellite males mimic female behaviour and coloration to access a nest and fertilise the eggs . Other males , known as sneaker males , lurk nearby and then quickly dash to the nest , fertilising on the run . These males are smaller than satellite males . Sneaker males also exist in Oncorhynchus salmon , where small males that were unable to establish a position near a female dash in while the large dominant male is spawning with the female . 
