At the statistics site Listverse, they once shared with us a list of interesting animal sexual orientations, but the deeper the experts dig, the more experts realize that what we already know is not even touching. reach the surface, what about the peculiar species?
Have you ever wondered how scorpions or puffer fish or even squid (an indispensable dish in seafood parties) mate? Let's explore the "romantic side" of animals' sex lives.
10. Scorpions (Scorpio)
Photo: A.Bockoven
The mating style of scorpions is quite similar to that of flamingos, which seek mates by "dancing" to attract females, even if they are the only duo in their area. The duo's "walk" usually occurs on moonless nights, after the male scorpion spends 20 minutes "dancing" around the female, when the right moment, the male scorpion quickly approaches and snaps. take the claws of the female scorpion, then the scorpion duo "wrestles" with each other in what looks like a sumo match that researchers often refer to as the "arthropod tango", and the "wrestle" fight tumbling" can last all day. During the jump, the male scorpion places a sperm pack on the ground and then it deftly maneuvers the female's head to that position so that the female can pull on her body.
While the scorpion duo dance together looks quite romantic, the male pincer holding the female doesn't seem like a cuddle arm, as it has to work hard to keep the "cannibal" " to the location of the sperm pack.
9. Bowerbird (Australian Bluebird)
In the world of the chameleon, the chance to get lucky depends on its style as "wandering artists". The female chameleon only accepts to mate with the male who builds a beautiful and perfect nest.
The Australian bluebills build "love houses" on the ground out of twigs, leaves, rocks and other "floral" things they can get their hands on. But the main part of the nest is the decoration of the nest full of love. In nature, Australian green rolls are known as Casanova with a romantic way of seduce children. They can pick up the things we throw away, the colorful things to decorate the nest, then they invite the children to see the nest. If the female is eye-catching, they will enter the house, and when it does, the male tries to entice the female by spreading his wings, waving and circling around and babbling.
However, it is not always successful, when the female does not like that colorful nest, they will leave and then, the male has to build another nest to invite difficult girls.
8. Flamingos (The Flamingos)
While many other animals change color or dance to get the female's attention during mating season, flamingos have a different, more advanced way, Before mating, all Individuals in a flock of flamingos together line up and perform movements to attract mates. They straightened their heads, marched, ruffled their feathers and turned their heads back and forth while walking steadily, looking quite like a parade.
Like artists, flamingos understand the power of makeup. So during mating season, flamingos apply an oil secreted in glands near their tails all over their bodies to give them a rosy color and make them more attractive in the eyes of their mates. Flamingos get their natural pink color from eating crustaceans, but the oils they secrete (usually used to protect against water-soaked feathers) contain substances called Carotenoids that enhance their color even more. .
7. Quoll
The kangaroo is a common marsupial in Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania, although it looks cute, with an "innocent" face, but this animal is quite aggressive during mating season. The kangaroo mating ritual has a certain order: the male first searches for a female by following the "sexy" scent of the female's urine, then slowly approaches the female until the female arrives. recognize its presence. As for the female kangaroos, they sometimes raise their paws for the male to smell them to suggest that she is ready to mate.
And after that foreplay, things take a more violent turn. When mating, the male jumps on the female's back and copulates by holding the female's neck. Mating time can be up to 24 hours and after mating is over, the male sometimes attacks the female and kills his mate. And if the female does not agree to mate with the male, they will probably be killed by the male immediately.
However, male kangaroos also often exhaust themselves to death in the frenzied pursuit to mate as many times as possible. During the entire mating season, male kangaroos consume quite a bit of Testosterone (the sex hormone) and fight with other males, and they spend very little time eating and sleeping. It is not surprising that at the end of the year, the majority of kangaroo populations are female and their offspring.
6. Puffer Fish (Puffer Fish)
While kangaroos use force to plunder, the male puffer fish knows how to flirt with fish girls. In fact, some species of pufferfish design and build nests for females to lay eggs in. Puffer fish are usually only about 12cm long, but their nests can be up to 2m long, wide and decorated with shells and coral.
The male takes about 10 days to build the nest, and if the female deems it worthy, she will lay her eggs right in the middle of the nest.
5. Praire Vole (hamster)
Most rodents are known to be promiscuous, so the hamster's monogamous habit is quite unique. While they breed frequently (females can breed 2-4 litters per year), they usually mate only with their mates, and the couples mate for the rest of their lives. However, hamsters are not necessarily immune to temptation, 1 in 2 couples will regularly engage in sex with another child. However, despite being unfaithful, hamster couples still stay together, share nests and raise children together.
Unlike other mice, hamsters secrete hormones Oxytocin and Vasopressin (hormones that enhance attraction and attachment) they tend to mate for life with their mates (which can be understood as addictive for the other). ). Scientists are studying hamsters and their hormones to better understand human mating to find out why, some couples break up but others don't.
4. Seahorse (Seahorse)
Similar to humans, seahorses like to initiate the mating process by dating each other, lasting several days before having sex. A pair of seahorses in love will dance together every morning, when they are next to each other, knitting their tails and swimming together gracefully in sync. Unlike the scorpion, the seahorse's dance is actually quite romantic, and witnessing it can make even those who are rigid in their relationship blush.
And then during the final dance, the female seahorse will lay her eggs in the male's pouch (the male will get pregnant) for it to fertilize. And after the male gives birth, it leaves to prepare to meet another female for the new mating season.
3. Albatross (Seagull)
The albatross love life has many levels. For starters, they will be a couple where both the male and the female work together to care for their young (rare in the animal world). They then have a rather "stupid" and humorous mating ritual that biologists describe as a dance but, to many, look like birds fencing with their beaks.
Seagulls have a lifespan of up to 50 years, and each year when they reach adulthood, the albatrosses gather in one place with their mates and breed. When a pair of seagulls mate, they begin a "fighting" ritual, one trying to "grab" the other's beak and make a different "clack clack clack" sound. Whereas unpaired albatrosses, they will continuously make "clack" sounds until they find a mate, and they only choose a mate that sounds like it. However, when a pair of seagulls have been together for too long, they will no longer mate – which is inevitable even for humans.
2. Water Strider (Water Spider)
Water spiders are the only spiders capable of walking on water. When mating season arrives, the male does not engage in traditional courtship but simply jumps on the female and asks to mate. If the female refuses, it creates ripples that attract predators. When the female surrenders and agrees to her request, she will stop making ripples, so they can mate peacefully (preferably peaceful because crawling over a lake full of hungry fish in the area). below).
Unfortunately, female water spiders do not need to mate, as they can fertilize her eggs for life, requiring only one mating session. However, if they don't want the already dangerous situation, maybe even more dangerous, they have to let the male satisfy the request.
1. Cuttlefish (Cuttlefish)
Cuttlefish are mollusks known for their camouflage abilities. While the 1-second color change is useful for evading predators, cuttlefish have also acquired the skill to flirt and find a mate.
In most cuttlefish populations, males predominately outnumber females (sometimes 10/1), meaning the males are constantly fighting for a mate. With such high competition, it seems unlikely that the smaller males will have a chance to mate. However, in this struggle, muscles do not always win. Clever cuttlefish can disguise themselves as females by changing their colors, hiding their extra "arms" (males have an extra arm for sperm production – so to speak. genitals) and pretends to be holding an egg bag. When the disguise is complete, it can sneak past all the other fighting males and entice the female to flee.
In some cases, the swindlers make up half of the population, luckily they can find a mate that is exactly female, and conversely there is a possibility that the partner becomes a competitor.
