Recently, one of my cats has gone on heat for the first time since I got her, and my, what a display I’ve been subjected to! She’s been rolling around, trying to get friendly with anything that moves (and a few things that don’t). It’s really quite an exhibition. Here are some strange mating rituals from the animal world …
Photo Credit: cs.huji.ac.il
A little mouse-like creature from Australia, the Antechinus would make any human male green with envy at his staying power. He can keep going for an extraordinary 12 hours – with one female. And as if that’s not enough, he’ll put it about as much as possible. He dies happy. The females probably have 5 minutes of fun, and 11 hours 55 minutes of wishing he’d hurry up so they can go to sleep …
Photo Credit: courtneyBolton
I don’t think I can possibly print some of the things that bonobo monkeys get up to. Suffice it to say that their sexual shenanigans make Henry Miller look like Mills and Boon. You name it, they do it, whatever the reason.
Photo Credit: Jeff Dyck
Oh. My. God. When these snakes wake up from hibernation, the females don’t even get the chance to nip off to the beauty salon and tart themselves up a bit. No, it’s straight down to business, as they get jumped by up to 100 males. At the same time.
Photo Credit: Squirmelia
How many times have we said ‘wouldn’t the world be a better place without men!’ This lizard must have said the same thing, and had its wish granted. There are no males. But here’s the problem – how do you reproduce when there are only females? Easy – clone yourself. One female pretends to be male, and then the other returns the favour.
Photo Credit: Hector16
Well, there’s no accounting for taste in the animal kingdom. Apparently, lady hippos are attracted by the male defecating – and spraying it all over the place. I wonder if she makes him take a bath in the local river before they get down to business …
Photo Credit: Cláudio Timm
Ever oohed and aahed at cute little ducklings? The truth is not so cute - duck mating can be quite violent. So pity the female Argentine Lake duck, who gets lassoed – yes, lassooed – by a male with 17 inch long genitals. Extinction must look quite attractive, faced with that …
Photo Credit: johnhallmen
These creatures don’t do things by halves. No, the humble little earwig is blessed with twice as many genitals as the human male. Men need not get jealous though, as the earwig’s parts can easily break off. Should this happen, he uses the other one. No word on what happens if he breaks both …
Actually, the earwig looks fortunate next to the honey bee. Good news: if the male bee gets to mate with the queen, he’s one of a select few to do so. Bad news: his genitals then explode. And he’s not packing a spare.
Wow – there’s definitely some strange things going on when it comes to animal reproduction! What other weird facts have you come across (and wished you hadn’t)? Do you think humans can be as strange as animals?
Top Photo Credit: ricky_1989