There comes a time in everyone’s life when they’re taught about “the birds and the bees,” but the actual birds, bees and others looking for love in the animal world are everything from picky and proud to brutal and bizarre. For these creatures, getting it on is not always about romance, but often in the name of survival. Find out who made the top 10 animal lovers list.
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil, size of a small dog, became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. The devil is capable of surprising speed and endurance, and can climb trees and swim across rivers. Devils are not monogamous, and theirreproductive process is very robust and competitive. Males fight one another for the females, and then guard their partners to prevent female infidelity. On top of having a mating call that could shatter glass, the Tasmanian devil also has a nasty temper and will throw down with anything that gets in its way — even a potential mate! Good thing this dalliance only lasts three days.
Whiptail Lizard
Cnemidophorus is a genus of lizards which are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. In some of the Cnemidophorus species, there are no males, and they reproduce through parthenogenesis. Those species without males are now known to originate through hybridization, or interspecific breeding. Occasionally, a mating between a female of one species and a male of another produces a parthenogen, a female that is able to produce viable eggs that are genetically identical to her own cells. The lizards that hatch from these eggs are thus also parthenogens that can again produce identical eggs, resulting in an asexual, clonal population.
Crested Macaque
The Celebes crested macaque or the black ape, is an Old World monkey that lives in the northeast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (Celebes). The Celebes crested macaque is promiscuous, with both males and females mating multiple times with multiple partners. The receptivity of the females is clearly indicated by an extreme tumescence (swelling) and redness of their buttocks which, in contrast to the black skin color, is particularly remarkable.
Peacock
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. This proud bird of India first nabs a lady’s attention by pretending he’s found food, then switches the focus by shaking his tail, fanning over 200 feathers that can reach 8 feet wide. It’s an important feature for the females to assess — the number of spots on a male’s tail directly correlates with their health and longevity, and the more the spots, the better. In this case, quantity does equal quality.
European Bitterling
The European bitterling is a freshwater fish in which the quality of the resource is of crucial importance for successful reproduction but can easily be manipulated. Males typically defend one or more living freshwater mussels and attract females to spawn in the mussels. The males develop nuptial coloration consisting of red-colored fins and eyes. The color of the fins can change within a few minutes during courtship or when confronted with a competing male. Males court females with a distinctive quivering display that draws females toward mussels. If they accept the mussel, they lay two to four eggs at a time into the gills of a mussel by rapidly inserting a long ovipositor into the exhalent siphon of the mussel. Males fertilize the eggs by releasing sperm over the inhalent siphon both before and after female spawning. Females spawn repeatedly, and several females may spawn in one mussel.
Demoiselle Crane
The Demoiselle Crane is a species of crane found in central Eurasia. These cranes are migratory birds. The Demoiselle Crane is slightly smaller than the Common Crane but has similar plumage. It has a loud trumpeting call, higher-pitched than the Common Crane. Like other cranes it has adancing display. If a demoiselle crane ever challenges you to a “Dance Dance Revolution” competition, politely decline. This bird is a master when it comes to cutting a rug, as it not only uses the technique to attract a life partner, but also as a way to get their hormones going. In fact, if they don’t dance, they won’t be able to lay eggs, so their survival actually depends on it.
Indian Rhinoceros
The Indian rhinoceros is also called greater one-horned rhinoceros and Asian one-horned rhinoceros. The male Indian rhinoceros loves the scent of his woman. A whiff of a female’s urine is all it takes to get his motor running, and with a sense of smell that rivals a bloodhound, this rhino can pick up the aroma from over a mile away. Both the male and female are extremely near-sighted, so they often charge first and ask questions later. Once they’re up close and personal, the courtship becomes a game of chase, with the female playing hard to get and keeping her suitor in tow for three days.
Red-Sided Garter Snake
Garter snakes is also the Massachusetts state reptile. Garter snakes go into brumation before they mate. They stop eating for about two weeks beforehand to clear their stomach of any food that would rot there otherwise. During mating season, the males mate with several females. In chillier parts of their range, male common garter snakes awaken from brumation first, giving themselves enough time to prepare to mate with females when they finally appear. Males come out of their dens and, as soon as the females begin coming out, surround them. Female garter snakes produce a sex-specific pheromone that attracts male snakes in droves, sometimes leading to intense male-male competition and the formation of mating balls of up to 25 males per female. After copulation, a female leaves the den/mating area to find food and a place to give birth. Female garter snakes are able to store the male’s sperm for years before fertilization.
Kakapo Parrot
This rare parrot makes his home in the deep forests of New Zealand, but as this bird is flightless, it’s imperative to attract potential lovers their way. This is not an easy task for a male trying to attract maybe one of six viable females on an island the size of Manhattan. A hopeful suitor will give it his all by stationing himself in a clearing and giving the performance of a lifetime by belting out a call up to 10,000 times a day. His tune comes out at such a low frequency, it’s more felt than heard, but it’s also so powerful that it can travel up to three miles away. Now that’s a love song!
Redback Spider
The Redback spider is one of only two animals to date where the male has been found to actively assist the female in sexual cannibalism. In the process of mating, the much smaller male somersaults to place his abdomen over the female’s mouthparts. In about 2 out of 3 cases, the female fully consumes the male while mating continues. Males who are not eaten die of their injuries soon after mating. Sacrifice during mating is thought to confer two advantages to the males. The first is that the eating process allows for a longer period of copulation and thus fertilisation of more eggs. The second is that females who have eaten a male are more likely to reject subsequent males. Although this prohibits the possibility of future mating for the males, this is not a serious disadvantage because the spiders are sufficiently sparse that only 20% of males ever find a potential mate during their lifetime.
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