Valentine's Day 2009

The Wild World of Mating

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Cotswold Wildlife Park takes a look at some of the remarkable mating rituals within the animal kingdom. Some are romantic, others are smelly and some could cost you your life! Welcome to the complex world of Nature’s dating and mating game. 

Mates for life
Let’s start with the most faithful!  Sarus Cranes are monogamous and mate for life. They perform a mating ritual together (known as unison calling) and perfect it as the years pass to affirm bonds.  They also dance together as part of their courtship ritual.

Sadly, our Sarus Crane is one of the lonely hearts this Valentines Day, as his mate passed away in 2006 and he’s been on his own ever since.

Till death do us part
Siamangs are extremely faithful. They take a great deal of time to select their mate and if their mate dies, they rarely choose another.
They are also one of the most vocal animals when it comes to courtship. They have loud, complex calls (often described as songs) which is made even louder by a throat sac that inflates like a balloon. Singing a duet strengthens the pair bonds between mated Siamangs.

Fatal mating
The female Praying Mantis is a sexual cannibal, often devouring the male after –or even during—sex. This notorious mating behaviour rarely deters a willing male. Dismounting (after mating) is the most dangerous time for him, for this is when the females most frequently cannibalize their mates.  For the males it’s a case of approach with caution... dismount with even more.

Same sex and threesomes
Flamingos tend to pair-bond, mating with the same partner for years. However, this is not always the case!  We have had a few trio and same sex pairings within our large flock of beautiful pink Chilean Flamingos.

Nature’s shyest bird
The Temminck’s Tragopan (considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful pheasants) is also one of the shyest when it comes to sex. They only breed if they can hide! The male (once sure he is alone with his mate) inflates a colourful patch on his throat and erects two “horns” above his eyes to make an amazing mask during courtship. The opposite of vain, this display is for his mate’s eyes only.

“Is once a year enough for you dear?”
Female Ring-tailed Lemurs are only sexually receptive for 24 hours a year! In the wild, during the breeding season, both males and females will have multiple mates. Females approach males for mating by orienting their backsides to the male, lifting their tail, and looking over their shoulder at him.

A snake orgy?
From April through till May in swaps and slow moving rivers of South America, an aggregation of giant snakes come together in order to compete for the chance to copulate with a female.  The Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is considered the world’s heaviest snake, weighing up to 150kg and can measure over 25ft.  During the mating season up to twelve male anacondas cluster and coil around a single female to compete for the chance of mating with her.  The males compete in these ‘breeding balls’, which can last up to 4 weeks until one individual is the victor.  In order to maximise his reproductive success the victorious male will then place a ‘sperm plug’ in the cloaca of the female, after copulation.  This is to ensure that no other males are able to mate with the same female. 

Stinking Love
If a male Striped Skunk tried to court a female who may not be “in the mood”, a potent aroma fills the air as the female sprays the rejected suitor, making it clear that she is not remotely  interested.

Hissing with confidence
Male Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches have a specific type of hissing for mating. Courtship begins with the male serenading the female with his mating hiss, which is followed by mutual antennae stroking.

Want to Help?

A visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park can now be even more worthwhile. By adopting an animal, you can provide a helpful contribution towards the costs of keeping and feeding the animals and supporting our conservation breeding programmes... click here for more information