The penguin chooses a mate for life. Whose family is the friendliest? The most faithful animals
Among animals there are true romantics and monogamous people. They form alliances forever, literally, until death do them part. We admire the love and loyalty of these couples.
Penguins
These birds keep love in their hearts in the harsh conditions of Antarctica. Penguins form married couples for many years. Mom and dad take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the babies.
Wolves
In folklore, wolves are portrayed as swindlers and swindlers, but in reality these animals lead a family life full of loyalty and love. The wolf treats the she-wolf very kindly and tenderly, cares for the female in every possible way, they rub their muzzles, flirt with each other, and only death can separate them.
Swans
White swans have long become a symbol of boundless fidelity. A swan recognizes its friend by sight and will never confuse her with anyone else. He jealously protects his chosen one and cubs and, if necessary, will even attack a person. If one of the birds dies, the partner cannot stand being alone and most often dies. The love of swans is characterized by wonderful qualities: caring for each other, friendship, protection, compassion. Swan devotion is so well described in literature that the image of two swans swimming with their necks curved in the shape of a heart has become an almost universal symbol of love.
Gibbons
When a gibbon grows up and goes in search of a female, he is ready to wander for years until he finds the one. When a couple gets together, it's once and for all. Gibbon unions are unusually strong. And since male and female individuals are approximately the same size, they are considered to have equal rights in relationships.
Seahorses
These animals are elegant both externally and internally. There is more romance in their mating rituals, touching courtships and love unions than in Hollywood melodramas. Surprisingly, the male seahorses carry the children - in a special pouch on his chest, where the female lays her eggs during mating. If the male or female dies, the partner does not look for a new companion and often dies of grief.
Barn Owls
The male carefully looks after his chosen one for almost a year: he presents her with prey caught during the hunt, hardworkingly builds a cozy house and invites the female to become his mistress. When a couple has offspring, the mother devotes all her time to the cubs, and the father takes full responsibility for providing for the family.
Pandas
Nature has awarded the sweetest pandas with all the virtues at once - they are modest and shy, caring and gentle, and remain faithful to their companions all their lives. Unlike many other species of animals, the male panda lovingly cares for the female, both before mating and after the birth of the cubs.
Foxes
Foxes are among the 5% of mammals that form monogamous pairs. Foxes are good parents. Males take an active part in raising their offspring, and also take care of their friends even before the cubs appear. They improve the burrows and even catch fleas from females.
Turtle Doves
It was turtle doves that inspired Shakespeare to write “The Phoenix and the Dove.” They live only in pairs and are very affectionate towards each other.
Wild dogs
These animals are only angry in appearance, but at heart they are romantics, respect the institution of family and take care of puppies until they grow up.
Black vultures
For black vultures, loyalty is a family matter. They not only live in pairs for many years, but also nest together, incubate eggs together and care for their offspring. Cheating on one of the partners can cause the wrath of an entire flock. Yes, these birds are not as cute as swans, but they demonstrate the same love and devotion.
Beavers
Beavers are loyal to each other throughout their lives, which lasts an average of 25 years. They build their home together, which protects them from predators. Researchers believe that the head of the family is the beaver, but the beaver is completely satisfied with the matriarchy, so the secret of this couple’s long and happy relationship lies in the infinite female wisdom.
Albatrosses
Bonds between male and female albatrosses form over several years and last a lifetime. The albatrosses' love is cemented by the husband's long business trips and the wife's completely, in human eyes, stupid, but very loving ritual dances.
Steppe mice voles
Although most rodents are known to be sexually promiscuous, prairie voles break this frivolous reputation by forming monogamous pairs. Moreover, these mice demonstrate an animal model of monogamy in humans. They care for each other, cuddle for warmth, share nesting and raising responsibilities, and generally display high levels of supportive behavior.
Eagles
Bald eagles are true monogamous people, which may be why the Americans chose them as a symbol of the national emblem. As a rule, these beautiful and proud birds mate for life, except in cases of death or sexual impotence of the partner.
French bristletooth
It is unlikely that you will ever find a French bristletooth alone - these fish live, travel and even hunt in pairs. Bristletooths in love work successfully as a team, resolutely defending their territory from other couples.
There are many species of animals in the world that know how to lovingly love their partners. So much so that many people could envy them. Or learn from them the art of love, fidelity and competent relationship building. Most of these couples are monogamous and remain faithful to one single partner. All of them are masters of showing their feelings and tenderly caring for their partner. There's clearly a lot to learn here!
1. Albatrosses.
Not only people can take a long time to form and decide on the choice of a partner. Some albatross species reach sexual maturity only after 10 years of life. Like us, adolescent albatrosses learn the art of courtship from their parents, gradually mastering the science of gracefully dancing, preening their wings, making eyes, courting and inviting their partner during the mating ritual. After going through several partners over several years, albatrosses finally choose one who will become their companion for life. In addition, these birds always return to the same place - and to the same partner - to give birth to the next offspring.
2. Sea otters.
When it's time to eat, sleep, or simply relax, otters do so in the water. And during sleep, partners always hold their paws so that they are not separated by the current.
3. Seahorses.
What do you tell your partner when you wake up in the morning? “Hi, I love you” or “Empty the bathroom - I’ll be late for work!”? Seahorses greet each other every morning with a unique dance, during which they sometimes change color. The couple performs stunningly beautiful pirouettes together and then separates for the rest of the day. The next time they meet, they greet each other to ensure that their partner is still alive, but also to strengthen their union and synchronize their reproductive cycles.
4. Gentoo penguins.
Every man knows that you can't propose without a ring. When a male gentoo penguin finds “that woman,” he searches the beach for the perfect, smoothest pebble to give to his beloved. If she likes the pebble, she puts it in her nest, and the two can officially be called “husband and wife.”
Elephants are powerful animals, but when it comes to lovers, they are all tenderness. An elephant's trunk contains up to 100,000 different muscles and is more sensitive than human fingers. So it’s not surprising that when elephants “roll up” to each other, they wrap their trunks around each other. These giants also use their trunks to stroke their partner's head and back when they are sad.
6. Bristletoothed.
Some representatives of bristletooths live on their own... until they find that one and only partner. Once united, the pair will travel, hunt and mate for the rest of their lives. If for some reason the two are separated, they risk everything and rush into the water above the reef to find each other.
7. Two-horned kalaos.
Everyone has at least once seen a couple who just can’t keep their hands off each other. It's like they're possessed. Well, in the animal world such lovers are a pair of two-horned kalaos. Their mating ritual consists of singing a duet. Having laid eggs, the female remains in the nest for two months and eats only what her husband brings her.
8. Lovebirds.
So, if two-horned kalaos are like your friends who cannot live without each other, then lovebirds are like those who have been together since school, but are still just as cute. These birds choose a partner as early as two months of age. They spend the rest of their lives together, sitting on a perch and caressing each other.
9. Anglerfishes.
True love is when you stay together even in difficult times. In the complete darkness of the deep ocean, a tiny male anglerfish might become depressed about his size. But instead he uses it as motivation. When the time comes to mate, the male swims up to the much larger (and scarier) female and gives her a special “kiss of love.” Enzymes are released that “glue” his mouth to her body. And you thought tattoos on fingers were forever.
No, alligators are not cute. Yes, they often dine on other animals that might be called cute. But these toothy giants can still be sweet when it comes to love. The male rubs the female's back, tickling her cheek with air bubbles and swimming around her. He also begins to growl underwater, causing the water to turn into a real Bellagio fountain in Vegas. And we all know what happens in Vegas...
11. Snails.
Did you know that slippery, slow-moving snails were most likely the inspiration for the Greek cupids? Although snails are hermaphrodites, they need a partner to complete the fertilization process. To do this, they shoot musk-coated “love darts” at each other. Most of the "shots" do not reach the target, but those that do hit stimulate the snail's reproductive organs. After successful stimulation, partners exchange sperm cells for 6 hours... And some people are proud that they can have sex for an hour...
12. Bonobos.
Few people understand the importance of foreplay more than bonobos. These primates are one of the few animals that have face-to-face sex. They also groom each other and brush their partner's hair, hug and kiss a lot, just like us.
13. Bowerbirds.
No self-respecting woman would want to give birth to children (or even have sex) in an unpleasant environment. This is why the male bowerbird spends most of his time looking for every little thing that should be shiny or blue or both. He decorates the nest with these carefully selected decorations in the hope that the lady of his heart will agree to spend the night with him.
14. American black cards.
There is a soul mate for each of us. Even if you are not very nice and like to eat carrion. American Black Catharts find a partner for life and stay together all year round. Both the female and the male are responsible for incubating the eggs, incubating them in “shifts” (24 hours each). There are known cases when catharts attacked their relatives who tried to recapture their partners.
15. Australian shorttail.
These lizards are masters of slow love. Males pursue the object of their adoration for months, gently licking and nudging her to show how dear she is to them. This innocent foreplay lasts for months. But when a couple officially seals their union by mating, the two will seek each other out every season for 20 years or more. When one of the partners dies, his significant other remains with the dead body for several days, gently nudging it, as if trying to resurrect it.
16. Sandhill cranes.
These birds may not be completely monogamous, but that doesn't mean they aren't romantic. During the mating ritual, couples stand very close to each other and sing in unison.
Manakins are excellent dancers when it comes to displaying their feelings. But this colorful bird is the only one of its kind that can moonwalk to impress the object of its adoration.
This is the mating dance of the male. The female is a little perplexed, but courtship makes her joyful, and she wants to fly:
One of the most amazing and very sad love stories happened in 2006 on one of the lakes in Germany. A rare black swan named Petra became very friendly with a bicycle boat made in the shape of a white swan. He showed all the signs of falling in love - he circled around the object of his passion, sang songs to her and looked at her for a long time.
Reports were made about him, newspapers wrote, T-shirts with the image of the non-standard “couple” were sold in the park. There was no end to those wishing to order that same bicycle boat. But soon tourists began to rent it less and less, as Petra, who was in love, began to react rather jealously and aggressively to people who were vying for the attention of his beloved.
Ornithologists hoped that by winter the black swan’s strange infatuation would pass, and they seriously feared for it, knowing that swans are monogamous animals and if they fall in love, it will be for life. Their fears came true. When the boat was put away for storage in winter, the swan did not want to leave his beloved and still did not fly away from the freezing lake. As a result, the park management decided to allocate the couple a winter enclosure, where pelicans had previously lived.
The next summer, the love between the black swan and the vehicle was also strong!
2. Steppe voles - the male remains faithful to his female throughout his life, showing no interest in other females.
3. Dik-dik antelopes (we passed them “in January”):
Each of them is very gentle and affectionate towards their partner. Unusual is the fact that when the female is pregnant, the husband carefully takes care of her. And when the cubs are born, the father is not interested in them; he continues to devote all his attention to his beloved.
And when children reach 40 centimeters in height, i.e. of their adult size, the male sends them to the stump so as not to interfere.
4. Wolves lead a family lifestyle. They live in pairs that form forever until something separates them.
5. Bald eagles remain faithful throughout their lives. The first weeks after the chicks hatch, the female is constantly with the cubs, and the male is engaged in obtaining food.
6. Penguins form married couples for many years. One pair returns to the same colony each season to breed. Both parents alternately take part in incubating and feeding the chicks.
7. Hammerhead Shark:
8. Male red salamanders are monogamous and very jealous. Suspecting their female of infidelity, they begin persecution. Females have learned to skillfully avoid all kinds of harassment.
9. For black vultures, maintaining monogamy is a family matter. They not only live in pairs, but also nest together, incubate eggs together and care for their offspring. Cheating on one of the partners can cause the wrath of an entire flock.
10. Crows are together until the end of their days, but even if the male dies, the widow will never tie the knot with another raven again.
When a couple has offspring, the children live with their parents for a long time, helping them raise the next generation of chicks. Such a friendly crow family can reach 15-20 individuals.
11. Gibbons create incredibly strong pairs for life. When a male and a female find each other, they also look for a free area. Having found it, the male begins to sing loudly, notifying everyone within an area of 3-4 kilometers that the place has been reserved. However, some scientists believe that the famous songs of gibbons are serenades.
Young gibbons separate from their family in search of their mate. Often such searches take several years, but the animal does not give up and never exchanges for “casual connections.” Parents often help unlucky bachelors by occupying vacant plots for them.
Another confirmation that love works miracles was a real sensation that happened in 2011 at the Zurich Zoo. An elderly pair of black-capped gibbons have given birth to offspring. It is worth noting that the couple were not just of mature age. The new mother was 37 years old, and the father was already 52 years old! And this despite the fact that in the wild the average life expectancy of such animals is about 25 years.
In St. Petersburg, gibbons sang lullabies to their son.
12. Our parrot remained faithful to her deceased husband for 10 years. The other males we provided her made her irritated and angry.
Only towards the end of her life was she able to fall in love for the second time.
13. Pigeons remain faithful to each other throughout their lives. These birds can be called true romantics. Their mating dances are incredibly beautiful and touching.
And they also kiss. There is no physiological practicality in the touch of pigeon beaks.
A male kisses a female during courtship:
The female pressed her paw - when happiness tickles from the inside, it is impossible to stand on two:
This is how gentle he is:
He's so brave, like a soldier. This will protect:
It’s so big and rainbow-colored, there’s nothing scary about it:
That's the kind of goiter he has, you won't go hungry with that:
They divide all responsibilities in half. Building a nest is a joint effort between pigeons.
The dove collects the material and the dove lays it down to form a nest.
The nest is used repeatedly, strengthening it each time.
Pigeons hatch future chicks in turns, but to a greater extent this is still the responsibility of the female. As a rule, the male incubates them during the day, when the dove flies to water.
14. There are many other monogamous animals: beavers, arctic foxes, foxes, badgers, ermines, geese, ducks, albatrosses, clown fish, angelfish and even some types of spiders.
They are all capable of loving each other and creating strong, friendly families.
And through courtship they demonstrate reliability and responsibility. So that the female understands that she got the best male, with whom she and the offspring will be protected, fed, and caressed.
The longer the courtship lasts, the more the female understands that this male will not leave her to her fate.
And if you exchange for everyone, then it will be like this:
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In the post-war world, when the remaining men were few, and many of them were poor (the smartest, strongest, most responsible and spiritually mature specimens went to the front), and women worked in the rear, and they needed to be strong, there was a program to revive the numbers population.
Families with anyone were valued (drunks and parasites were sanded and educated), strong women were valued, wise, forgiving, patient, who became nannies, mothers, educators, etc. for males.
And nothing was required from men. They are already beautiful in themselves, even stinking under the fence. If only they didn’t go under the fence completely. If only they illuminated the family with their presence. If only they chose the one that
and completely gave up on everything except themselves.
These generations produced their own kind.
Currently, the evolution of men is divided into two branches:
1) men of the old type, the way they were shaped by millions of years of evolution from fish. They behave like the animals described above. They have "mating dances", courtship, gifts, a reliable shoulder, and in some cases even a neck.
2) men of a new type - they are sure that they are valuable because they are male. They are cowardly, deceitful, hysterical, incapable of empathy and other things...
They owe nothing to anyone, and least of all they owe it to the one they chose as their mate. Everyone owes them this.
They demand from women “mating dances,” courtship, gifts, reliable shoulders, and in some cases, necks. They are outraged and angry when a woman expects masculine behavior from them. They may also begin to take revenge. How dare she expect anything from the sweetheart? Let her be glad that they paid attention to her at all.
And generations of strong women, who raise strong women, instill in them that “even if it’s inferior, it’s yours” as soon as possible - it’s more important than waiting for something good in the future.
If nature reasoned this way, we would now live in a world without animals.
And it’s very interesting what will happen next.
For now, species2 is thriving due to the influence of the post-war generation on subsequent generations.
And so
Events
prairie voleAlthough monogamy is quite rare in the animal kingdom, it is not boring at all. Just look at the male prairie vole mice. They remain faithful to the female with whom they lost their virginity. The male not only does not even glance in the direction of other females, moreover, he is very aggressive towards them and often attacks them. Scientists have traced this form of behavior of potential pests at home, discovering in their brains a special combination of hormones responsible for aggression towards other females and fidelity to one.
Bald Eagle
This is the ultimate example of loyalty; bald eagles remain loyal to each other until one of them dies. Recent bird DNA studies have confirmed that monogamy is the norm among these predators.
Wolves
Along with penguins, wolves are characterized by serial monogamy, that is, they can be close to several partners, but not in parallel, but sequentially. A she-wolf, as a rule, mates with one male, but in the future she can exchange him for another if the previous one dies, leaves the pack, or becomes ill to such an extent that she can no longer continue the race.
Warty clownfish
Among these deep-sea fish, monogamy is taken to a strange new level. After mating, the male clownfish attaches itself to the female's flesh, gradually his mouth fills with her skin, and their circulatory systems gradually merge into one. After complete union, the male completely degenerates, turning into seminal fluid that fertilizes the female. It often happens that a female “teams up” with several males at the same time.
Penguin
Since the movie March of the Penguins, many conservative groups have cited emperor penguin monogamy as a role model. While it is true that these flightless Antarctic birds mate and stay together for a while to raise their young, this typically only lasts for one mating season, after which they usually swap partners.
Black vulture
For black vultures, maintaining monogamy is a family responsibility and a genetic component. If an individual black vulture is “caught cheating” on its partner, then it will be pursued not only by its partner, but also by other vultures of the flock.
Antelope dik-dik Kirk
Unlike most monogamous mammals, the males of these dwarf African antelopes mate constantly with the same female, but do not take on any parental responsibilities at all.
Red salamander
The male red salamander begins to physically and sexually pursue the female if he suspects her of infidelity. But lecherous females have become accustomed to this and have become very adept at avoiding the aggression of their socially monogamous partners.
Shark - hammer
Females of this small species of shark tend to mate with several males and store their seminal fluid for later use at the appropriate time, which is why scientists have suggested that the babies of these sharks may have several different fathers at the same time. But subsequent studies showed that children still have the same father. Then experts offered another explanation: female hammerhead sharks are still monogamous; when it comes to procreation, they can mate with several males, but for fertilization they use the sperm of only one male.
Orange spiders
Males of many spider species die immediately after mating with a female, but only because the female eats him. The male orange spider also willingly sacrifices itself during the mating process. During mating, the male leaves one of his appendages in the female's body, where it continues to function as a kind of organic chastity belt that prevents her from copulating with other males.
Love lives for three years. Exceptions only prove the rule. Surprisingly, the animal world has its own laws. To the envy of people, some species of our smaller brothers still choose monogamy. Here are 12 animals that mate for life, caring for and supporting each other in difficult situations.
Wolves
The she-wolf is a true fighting friend. Without her, a wolf, one might say, is like without paws. Despite the image of ferocious predators, wolves are very caring and gentle creatures. They are sensitive to family life, caring for their offspring together.
Penguins
If for women, diamonds are their best friends, then for a simple female penguin a simple stone is enough. In search of the ideal specimen, the male is ready to search the entire coast. By handing over a souvenir to his chosen one, he seems to be proposing marriage to her.
Pandas
Everyone has heard about the incredible slowness of pandas. Maybe they are just too lazy to go left? No. Scientists consider these funny bears to be the most romantic and loyal in the animal kingdom. The faithful head of the family carefully looks after his companion all her life: before, during and after the long-awaited pregnancy.
Lovebirds
The very name of these beautiful birds speaks for itself. Both in the wild and in domestic conditions, they choose a partner for life.
Seahorses
Seahorses are not like people. Firstly, the male in such a pair becomes pregnant. Secondly, the female is the first to show sympathy for her partner, attracting his attention with a peculiar dance. Then she races him. If he turns out to be hardy and strong, you can start a family with him.
Barn owls
Barn owls are a true role model. The male courts the female for a whole year. He gives her many different gifts and carefully arranges the nest. This is the only way to win the favor of a capricious friend.
Gibbons
Unlike all primates, gibbons do not like packs. They prefer to live in small families away from their relatives. Gibbons are ready to spend more than one year searching for their soulmate. If only it was the same...
Albatrosses
Albatrosses spend most of their lives alone, soaring in the air or on the water. Only during the mating season and while hatching eggs do these birds fly to land. It would seem that in such conditions one can reproduce with anyone. But after breaking up, the albatrosses renew their relationship a year later. They choose a partner once and for all.
Whales
Whales are one of the most loyal representatives of the animal kingdom. Having created a family, most of them swim away to give birth to offspring in warm waters. At the same time, the future father does not leave the female even for a minute. And after giving birth, he takes care of her and the baby.
Beavers
Beavers are very fond of all kinds of tenderness. The male often caresses the female with his front paws, as if stroking her with his hands. By the way, the beaver is a typical henpecked person. The head of a happy family is often the female.
Swans
Swans have long become an unspoken symbol of fidelity and love. They say that only death can separate these wonderful birds.
French bristletooths
Incredibly, even fish strive for monogamy. For example, it is generally difficult to meet this fish alone, without its soulmate. Together they are a team and protect their territory from unexpected guests.