- Cuttlefish are sea mollusks that resemble squids.
Their camouflaging abilities of color changes for
protection also help in attracting females. The
male dominated cuttlefish population results in a
constant battle for a single female’s attention.
However size is of no consequence and the
intelligent ones succeed by disguising
themselves as females to maneuver through
clusters of males towards an unsuspecting
female. They will hide their additional arm used
as a sperm dispenser. Some fish also have the
ability to appear as half male and half female to
ward off rivals.
The Water Strider Mating Ritual
- The water strider may be an insignificant little
water fly, but when it comes to mating, the male
is very demanding. Without any ritualistic dance
or attraction he will climb atop the female
expecting her to give in immediately. If she fails
to do so he attempts to kill her by rippling the
water to attract a predator towards her. He will
only stop the rippling activity if she gives in. The
female’s singular ability to fertilize eggs
produced throughout a lifespan makes her
disinterested in mating. It is only due to the
male’s threats that they do so.
The Albatross Bird Mating Ritual
- The cartoon like mating ritual of the albatross
birds involves movements with their bills
mimicking a sort of sword fencing fight. However
these birds are totally monogamous preferring
the company of each other lifelong. Throughout
their 50 year lifespan, they will breed with the
same partner every year. The bill dance is a
major vocal event with a lot of clucking and
cackling noise unique to the pair involved. With
time the ritual gets subdued and lessens with
age similar to the marital relationships of human beings.
Sea Horses Mating Rituals
- Sea horses tend to behave in the same way as
humans where mating and attraction is
concerned. Before a couple can actually mate
they will meet every day to engage in social
activity and intimacy. In perfect
synchronization, they will swim, entwine their
tails, and move along with each other. A
perfectly romantic process, leads to the female
carefully placing her eggs in the abdominal
pouch of the male. Here the male is the pregnant
partner, weird but true. Once the babies are
born they are abandoned on their own and the
male looks for a new female again
The Prairie Voles Mating Ritual
- It is surprising to learn that prairie voles
actually provide scientists with a case study for
observing human bonding and why some tend to
be promiscuous. Prairie voles due to their high
content of natural neurochemical receptors like
vasopressin and oxytocin are ensured of a strong
bonding with their partners. Although some do
tend t have affairs with other voles, in general
they will remain faithful with one partner
throughout their lifespan. The same partners
will remain with each other raising several
litters throughout the year.
The Puffer Fish Mating Ritual
- The puffer fish is truly artistic in his mating
attempts. This little 12 cm fish will go to great
lengths to decorate the ocean floor over an area
of 2 meters in a circled pattern using coral and
shells. This artwork nest takes about 12 days
after which the female lays eggs within the
center of the circled design. The elaborate
designs are reflective of the strength of the male
puffer which is what attracts the female. These
designs have intrigued scientists in earlier years
until a live photographed act revealed the
designs as the work of the little puffer.
The Quoll Mating Ritual
- The Quoll is a little marsupial found in the
Australian region. Their size and innocence
however is in extreme contrast to their
aggressive mating. When the female is ready to
mate, the male will copulate with such violent
force that the female may be lucky to survive the
process with just cuts and bruises. In some
cases the male ends up killing his partner in the
act or he is shunned by her. However what’s
weird is that he may also end up killing himself
due to exhaustive multiple attempts of mating
and fighting other males.
The Flamingo Mating Ritual
- When flamingoes mate it is an enjoyable dance
in perfect synchronization involving the entire
community. Akin to a well-choreographed chorus
line, the birds will strut, stretch, puff and swivel
about in perfect unison. Preceding every ritual,
the males will oil themselves all over through
secretions from a gland on the tail. This oil is
also a protective cover from natural elements. It
is believed that the female chooses a mate by
close observation of the male who mirrors her
actions best.
The Bower bird Mating Ritual
- The male bower bird is all class and
sophistication when it comes to impressing his
female. In order to attract her he will build a
perfect beautiful nest complete with uniform
design. Even the entrance will be a decorative
arch lined with colorful objects. The perfection
is reflective in the placement of objects that
ensure the illusion of objects appearing uniform
in size to the female. The nest building process
is the main activity of the bower bird and it
usually the more experienced older birds that
get the female.
The Scorpion Mating Ritual
- The mating ritual of scorpions may seem a lively
dance, but in effect, the wild aggressive actions
initiated by the male are actually a defense
mechanism to protect against the female’s
bizarre nature of trying to devour his head first.
Scorpions mate on moonless nights with the
male hovering around the female a good 20
minutes. He then clasps the female’s pincers
with his in order to restrain her and then
deposits a spermatophore containing sperm on
the surface of the ground. The female then
absorbs the sperm into herself.
