10 Bizarre Mating Rituals
Here are 10 Bizarre Mating Rituals.
Most people have been on a weird date or two, but when it comes to wooing mates, some of nature’s creatures really take strange to a new level.
Here are 10 bizarre mating rituals.
Number 10. Red-Sided Garter Snake. Around a hundred males often show up to win the affections of a single female. They show their interest all piling up around her, forming what’s called a mating ball. Once one has successfully completed the mating process the mass disperses.
Number 9. Flatworms. They’re hermaphrodites, so the first order of business is determining which one of them will be the female and carry the babies around. The goal is to avoid taking that energy-consuming role, so the two battle it out to see who can inseminate whom first in a ritual known as penis fencing.
Number 8. Bowerbirds. Not only are expert home-making skills required, the males of the species also need to show they have decorating sense. Abodes are often embellished with shells, plastic trinkets, and even tin foil.
Number 7. Giraffes. Males know when it’s time to make their move by smelling, and sometimes even tasting, a female’s urine.
Number 6. Hippos. Animal waste is also involved in the hooking up of these creatures. The biggest difference is that the males express their interest by throwing feces at their desired partner.
Number 5. Whiptail Lizards. They’re all female, and while asexual reproduction isn’t unheard of in the wild, the lack of genetic variety that results can be bad for future development. These lizards solve the problem by starting out with a lot of extra chromosomes.
Number 4. White-Fronted Parrots. Like humans, these birds kiss as a means of showing intimacy. Thankfully, that’s where the similarity stops as the males show their affection by throwing up in the mouths of their partners.
Number 3. Bedbugs. The parasites’ mating process is called traumatic insemination and here’s why. The male reaches the female’s reproductive organs by piercing her through the side, leaving an open wound that must heal.
Number 2. Anglerfish. Once these guys find a mate they don’t leave her until they die. That’s because they attach themselves to the female’s side. First, he bites her and over time his mouth actually fuses to her body, which then becomes his sole nutrition source, and he her permanent sperm provider.
Number 1. Banana Slugs. These hermaphrodites don’t pick a gender before mating, so sometimes both of them end up becoming pregnant. If another slug isn’t available, they’ll just go ahead and reproduce with themselves.
Which one of these dates would you least like to be on?
Most people have been on a weird date or two, but when it comes to wooing mates, some of nature’s creatures really take strange to a new level.
Here are 10 bizarre mating rituals.
Number 10. Red-Sided Garter Snake. Around a hundred males often show up to win the affections of a single female. They show their interest all piling up around her, forming what’s called a mating ball. Once one has successfully completed the mating process the mass disperses.
Number 9. Flatworms. They’re hermaphrodites, so the first order of business is determining which one of them will be the female and carry the babies around. The goal is to avoid taking that energy-consuming role, so the two battle it out to see who can inseminate whom first in a ritual known as penis fencing.
Number 8. Bowerbirds. Not only are expert home-making skills required, the males of the species also need to show they have decorating sense. Abodes are often embellished with shells, plastic trinkets, and even tin foil.
Number 7. Giraffes. Males know when it’s time to make their move by smelling, and sometimes even tasting, a female’s urine.
Number 6. Hippos. Animal waste is also involved in the hooking up of these creatures. The biggest difference is that the males express their interest by throwing feces at their desired partner.
Number 5. Whiptail Lizards. They’re all female, and while asexual reproduction isn’t unheard of in the wild, the lack of genetic variety that results can be bad for future development. These lizards solve the problem by starting out with a lot of extra chromosomes.
Number 4. White-Fronted Parrots. Like humans, these birds kiss as a means of showing intimacy. Thankfully, that’s where the similarity stops as the males show their affection by throwing up in the mouths of their partners.
Number 3. Bedbugs. The parasites’ mating process is called traumatic insemination and here’s why. The male reaches the female’s reproductive organs by piercing her through the side, leaving an open wound that must heal.
Number 2. Anglerfish. Once these guys find a mate they don’t leave her until they die. That’s because they attach themselves to the female’s side. First, he bites her and over time his mouth actually fuses to her body, which then becomes his sole nutrition source, and he her permanent sperm provider.
Number 1. Banana Slugs. These hermaphrodites don’t pick a gender before mating, so sometimes both of them end up becoming pregnant. If another slug isn’t available, they’ll just go ahead and reproduce with themselves.
Which one of these dates would you least like to be on?