relationships
10 Animals That Mate for Life
August 1, 2019
If animals can be monogamous, what does that say about some people? Here’s a list of 10 animals who can put some humans to shame when it comes to loyalty 🐻❤🐼
1 – PRAIRIE VOLE
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Rodents often get a bad rap for being promiscuous, but not these cute and faithful fur-balls. These ride-or-die duos build their nest together, groom each other and raise their young.
2 – SHINGLEBACK SKINK
Shingleback skinks (not stinks) ride solo much of the year, but hook up with the same partner each mating season. I guess they don’t all look the same? They often travel in pairs, with the male following the female – MOOD.
3 – GRAY WOLF
Wolves are quite similar to humans in the nuclear family model. The alpha male pairing with a female establishes the social structure for the rest of the pack. The older offspring even help take care of their younger siblings. The mainly monogamous duo will breed once per year. 👀
4 – SANDHILL CRANE
Sandhill cranes have a special ringtone for their loved one! Their squawking reaffirms their bond – the female makes two calls and the male answers with one. Aww what love birds 🕊💕🕊
5 – MACARONI PENGUIN
These cute Happy Feet penguins (or more officially known as macaroni penguins) get excited when they see each other, showing their love by cackling and swinging their heads from side to side in what is known as an “ecstatic display.”
During mating season, if they’ve bred before, the majority will return to their previous mating partners. #loyal
And get this – when the female lays an egg, the male and female take equal turns looking after it.
6 – LAR GIBBON
Lar gibbons are are the nearest relatives to humans that mate for life, and they’re not always monogamous (much like humans?)…A recent study in Thailand, found that as many as one in ten of their babies are from a male other than the female’s partner, making them opportunistically promiscuous.
According to the National Geographic, it’s a rare trait for primates to be monogamous. But, when they are loyal, they form extremely strong pair bonds.
The coupled male and female will spend time grooming each other and (literally) hanging out together in the trees.
7 – BLACK VULTURE
Are you going to eat that? Like some long-married couples, black vultures look just like each other and exhibit no differences in size or plumage.
Researchers even looked at genetic evidence from DNA fingerprinting to study the black vulture’s monogamy. A study published in the journal Behavioural Ecology found that, “mated pairs exhibit long-term pair bonding and year-round association, and share incubation and nestling feeding duties equally.”
Couples that parent together stay together.
8 – POT-BELLIED SEAHORSE
The potbellied seahorse like all seahorses, flirts, and females compete with each other for the attention of males. A reliable mate is important, since he’ll be the one carrying the babies.
9 – BALD EAGLE
Bald eagles spend winters alone but reunite with the same partner during the breeding season. Best of both worlds?
These eagles typically mate for life, except in the event of their partner’s death or impotency — a number far lower than America’s divorce rate, which now exceeds 50 percent.
10 – BLACK-NECKED SWAN
During breeding season, male black-necked swans use their wings to beat away any would-be suitors. After the eggs hatch, dad also watches over the fledglings while mum goes out to grab food for herself.
Swans form monogamous pair bonds that last for many years, and in some cases these bonds can last for life. Their loyalty to their mates is so storied that the image of two swans swimming with their necks entwined in the shape of a heart has become a nearly universal symbol of love.
The moral of the story is – if animals can keep it halal – so should you!
