Gallery: Animal Amour
Humans aren't the only animals who engage in elaborate courtship rituals—view the gallery
Gallery: Animal Amour
- Dwarf Sea HorseYou probably already know that in sea horses it is the male that gets pregnant; he carries developing eggs until they hatch and are ready to venture out on their own. But before that occurs, a strange and intricate courtship must take place. Dwarf seahorses court over several days, moving from "reciprocal quivering" to mutual pointing with tails and ending in a brief copulation as the two fish rise in the water column.© iStockphoto/Frogkick
- MouseRelative to other animals, mouse courtship is fairly involved. (Or perhaps, as one of the most-studied mammals ever, we simply have a more thorough understanding of it.) Either way, it includes everything from pheromones that allow females to detect whether or not genes governing males' immune systems are compatible with their own, to ultrasonic singing by male mice.© iStockphoto/EmiSta
- Frigate BirdWhen a male frigate bird wants to get a date, it throngs with other males, inflates the patch of red skin on its throat (called the gular sac) and then waggles it from side to side while calling whenever a likely female flies by. If she likes what she sees, she'll join the male of her choice.© iStockphoto/golfladi
- Green IguanaLike Anoles, iguana courtship includes head-bobbing and flapping its dewlap (the flap of skin under its neck). As iguanas enter breeding season, males develop orange coloration over their arms and torso that may range in intensity from a dull brown to a bright, almost neon orange.© iStockphoto/Tazzy1
- Great BustardThe world's largest flying bird, the male Bustard engages in an energetic display of his chest feathers that appears to be a classic example of what scientists call "honest signaling." That is, the features of the male's feathers and display that females find most attractive directly correlate with the overall health of the male, and by extension the fitness of his genes.© iStockphoto/hanita18
- Madagascar Hissing CockroachThe males of this species of giant cockroach hiss for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which is to attract a mate. By forcing air through their spiracles, or the holes through which they breathe, males generate a hiss that lady cockroaches apparently find quite fetching: in lab experiments, muted males were almost never successful at mating.© iStockphoto/David H Coder
- BaboonLike other intelligent, highly social primates, baboon courtship can take many different forms. In hamadryas baboons, for instance, males will maintain harems of multiple females which they will jealously guard—and which will occasionally be raided by other males. Males of other baboon species sometimes take a different tack: by "befriending" a female through attentive companionship and grooming (the primate equivalent of sparkling conversation) they may eventually be chosen as mates by those females.© iStockphoto/IMPALASTOCK
- AlligatorBeginning in April or May, depending on the onset of warm weather, alligators engage in elaborate courtship rituals that can span up to two months. Both male and female alligators will nudge one another as well as bellow and blow bubbles underwater in bouts that can last from minutes to hours. Mating can occur throughout the prolonged courtship, but actual fertilization does not take place until near the end of the pair's time together.© iStockphoto/John Anderson
- Humpback WhaleDuring breeding season, which takes place over the winter months, groups of male humpback whales will display for potential mates by singing their famously haunting songs, breaching, and performing a host of other competitive displays that depend on speed, strength and size.© iStockphoto/adwalsh
- Green AnoleGreen Anoles live in warm climates throughout the New World. Aside from their chameleon-like ability to change colors, the males of these small, agile lizards also possess a throat fan—known as a dewlap—which they use during territorial disputes and for courtship. When courting, a male will bob his head vigorously and may even perform an action that resembles push-ups. In response, a receptive female will bob her head in synchrony with the male.© iStockphoto/walkingmoon
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