Love is all around us on Valentine’s Day, so Wildlife Matters looks at some of the Unbelievable ways Wildlife Finds a Mate.
In today’s world, where dating apps and swiping left or right have taken over the romantic landscape, finding “the one” has become a top priority for many.
But did you know that humans are not the only ones who crave companionship? Many creatures in the natural world also seek a partner and go to great lengths to find one. From faithful swans and wolves to solitary pine martens and sexton beetles that bury animal carcasses, the animal kingdom is full of fascinating tales of love and survival.
Take the adder, for example. When searching for a mate, they shed their skin to reveal a shiny new coat and use their tongue to woo their female counterparts. The pine marten, a fiercely territorial animal, has only a few days when the female is receptive to mating. If mating is successful, both parents share parental duties in raising their offspring.
But the sexton beetle takes the cake regarding unique mating habits. They use food, often in the form of animal carcasses, to bond with their partner. Within an hour of death, they locate a corpse up to two miles away, bury it, strip away the fur or feathers, and douse it with anti-bacterial secretions to slow down decomposition. Talk about a dreadful way to show affection!
So, whether it’s staying with one partner for life or changing partners, wildlife will go to great lengths to ensure the continuation of their species. Who knew that the animal kingdom was so full of love and drama?
The world of wildlife has its unique approach to courtship.
No one-size-fits-all approach exists; what works best can differ for each species. So, if you don’t conform to the traditional idea of being with only one partner, take heart – you’re in good company with some of the most fascinating creatures out there.
If you believe in magic, you could try ornithomancy – predicting your future partner based on the first bird you see on Valentine’s Day.
Seeing a sparrow might indicate a future with someone poor while spotting a goldfinch could mean you’ll hit the jackpot with a millionaire. If a robin flies overhead, it’s believed you’ll end up with a sailor, while a blackbird is said to predict you’ll marry a vicar. A flock of doves might suggest a long and happy marriage, but if you spot an owl or woodpecker, you’re thought to be destined to stay single.
For the brave-hearted, there is the tradition of heading to the local graveyard at midnight on February 13th to conjure up a ghostly vision of the person you will go on to marry. This involves running around the church twelve times while chanting a prescribed poem – we won’t share it with you today, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can certainly try it!
Roses are always a popular gift on Valentine’s Day, and the colour you receive could hold some significance. So, if your partner presents you with a big bunch of roses on Valentine’s Day, what secrets might they reveal?
Red roses symbolise eternal love and passion, while pink roses signify admiration and appreciation – perfect for the early days of a relationship. Yellow roses perfectly show friendship and happiness, while orange roses symbolise desire and enthusiasm. And if you’re looking for something genuinely enchanting, lilac roses represent love at first sight.
But roses aren’t the only way to predict your romantic future.
According to legend, twisting the stem of an apple while reciting the names of potential spouses can reveal the name of your future partner. And if you want to know how many children you’ll have, count the seeds inside the apple.
People have also turned to herbs and spices for romantic guidance for centuries. Placing a sprig of fragrant rosemary under your pillow might reveal the identity of your future spouse in your dreams. And if you want to know if your crush sent you that mysterious Valentine’s Day card, try placing a slip of paper with your names under your pillow and reciting a particular poem.
Whether you are a hopeless romantic or a sceptic, these old-fashioned love traditions will pique your interest.
However you plan on spending your Valentine’s Day, maybe sipping champagne with your significant other or eating chocolates in bed with your cat, some members of the animal kingdom are sacrificing their lives in the name of love.
So, let’s look at some unusual ways wildlife gets it on! From kinky spider bondage to death-inducing foreplay, it dives into the fascinatingly depraved world of animal mating rituals.
Humans aren’t the only species that get a little rough in the bedroom. The mating ritual of nursery spiders is downright kinky! — before courting, the male presents the female with a “gift” of an insect wrapped in webs. But once his gift is accepted, things get a little more X-rated.
The male nursery web spiders will bond with their female partners by tying the female’s front legs with silken cords before mating. This ritual, performed only by some males, actually decreases the chance of the female eating them right after — yes, this is a thing that happens — since first she would have to free herself.
The bondage might also help the male get a second mating, as the female can’t run off (or eat him) after their first encounter, increasing his chances of becoming a father. These cords are known as a “bridal veil.”
Nursery web spiders aren’t the only species of spider to tie up their partner, but they are perhaps the only spider that may add pheromones to the cords, making the female more interested in mating.
Male honeybees sacrifice their lives for the chance of becoming a dad. They can mate with the queen bee an average of seven to ten times — mid-flight! — before their endo phallus (penis) is finally ripped off of their body! The endophallus stays inside the queen bee until the next male comes along and either is futile in his attempted entry or removes the previous male’s tissue so he can mate with the queen. As for the previous male, He’s doomed. When the endophallus is torn off, the male’s abdomen rips open, and he dies shortly after that.
Interestingly — but less gruesome — queen honeybees have only one mating flight. Still, they mate with several males during this time and can store between five and six million sperm within their spermatheca.
Anglerfish take the phrase “till death do us part” to a new level. Finding a mate in the deep ocean can be challenging, especially because males are much smaller than females. However, when a male anglerfish finds a female, he bites onto her and never lets go for the rest of his life! Talk about an inseparable bond! He even becomes a part of her circulatory system and feeds on her blood to survive.
But wait, there’s more!
Most land snails are hermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female sexual organs and can reproduce as either. Some species even have a “love dart” – a sword made of calcium that they use to stab other snails, transferring “sperm-boosting secretions.”
However, this love dart can reduce fertility in the long term and cause severe injury or even death. Researchers found that stabbed snails only lived around three-quarters as long as those who had not been penetrated and laid fewer eggs.
With such high costs to the snails, it’s a wonder why they even evolved these weapons — but the love dart discourages the stabbed snail from mating with anyone else, whether that’s because of the secretions or because of the intense pain, ensuring the stabber that his genes will be passed on to offspring.
Male pufferfish are the alluring artists of the marine world. They create intricate circular patterns on the seafloor to attract females by using their fins and bodies to move sand and develop ridges.
They then decorate their nests with pieces of shell and coral, hoping to appeal to the aesthetic desires of female pufferfish. It takes the male seven to ten days to complete his unique nest. If a female appears and decides the design is to her liking, she will lay eggs in the middle and then take off. Females usually choose males with the most intricate and extensive nests — typically created by the most vigorous males.
The process of Male water striders is known to be sexually immoral among insects. Female water striders have a “genital shield,” which functions as a chastity belt to prevent males from mating with them unless they want to.
However, some male water striders use coercion and threaten females with death until they consent to mate with them. Water striders move on water surfaces due to surface tension and can sense predators or prey by vibrations in the water.
Nevertheless, some male water striders employ this tapping to attract predators by hopping on the female’s back and tapping vigorously on the water’s surface. Since the female is on the water with the male on her back, she is more vulnerable to being eaten by predators. Consequently, the female gives in and opens her genital shield, allowing the male to mate with her. After fertilisation, the male water strider has to take care of the eggs until they hatch six days later. Following hatching, the male leaves to build a new nest and repeat the process.
And finally, let’s look at St Valentine’s Day’s origins and some folklore.
Some believe it is celebrated in remembrance of St. Valentine’s death. In contrast, others say that it was an attempt by the Christian church to “Christianise” the pagan festival of Lupercalia.
Lupercalia was a Roman fertility festival held on February 15th in honour of Faunus, the god of agriculture, and the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. During the festival, Roman priests would gather at a sacred cave where Romulus and Remus were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf.
They would then sacrifice a goat and use its hide to slap women and crop fields, which was believed to bring fertility in the coming year. And if that isn’t weird enough – There’s more!
Later in the day, all the young women in the city would put their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each select a word from the urn, and the two would be paired up for the year. Was this the beginning of partner swapping?
During the Middle Ages, people in France and England believed February 14th was the beginning of birds’ mating season. This added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.
The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to mention St. Valentine’s Day as a romantic celebration in his poem “Parliament of Foules.” Where he wrote, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh there to choose his mate.”
Valentine’s greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known Valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London.
Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a Valentine’s note to Catherine of Valois.
So, there you have it: Valentine’s Day’s fascinating history!
And that has been this. Wildlife Matters looks at love in the wildlife world, and whatever you decide to do on 14 February, we hope you enjoy your St Valentine’s Day with someone special.