We’ve
all seen those beautiful penguin photos, beaks together forming a
heart, on Valentine’s Day. And don’t get us wrong; we love how adorable
and sweet nature can be. But just for fun, we thought we’d explore the
darker side of love in the wild—with animals that are willing to die for
it! Maybe they’ve been listening to too much Prince: “You just leave it
all up to me; my love will be your food.”
Is all fair in love and war? Find out which s*x comes out on top …
Honeybee—The Virgin Queen
Here’s how it goes down as the queen flies to a new location: The
males mount the queen in flight, insert their endophallus, have it
ripped from their bodies and die leaving the queen newly fertilized. Oh,
honey!
Praying Mantis—Off with His Head!
Females usually kill their mate when he dismounts after copulation
(although sometimes she starts during the act)—starting with the arms so
he can’t fight her, next with the head and on down. Half of all males
successfully dismount without harm. It all comes down to how hungry she
is. How’s that for a dinner date?
Brush-tailed Australian Marsupial Mouse — Bop ’til You Drop
This mouse wastes no time finding a mate, becoming sexually active by
age one. The males die two weeks after breeding due to the stress and
exhaustion of mating, leaving the female a single mom caring for her
young.
Fairy Shrimp — Short but Sweet
Is it all about the kids? Fairy shrimp mate and fertilize their eggs
in temporary rain pools. They die when the water dries up, leaving their
offspring to wait in the soil for the rains to return, starting the
short and unselfish cycle again. Now that’s taking one for the team.
[Care2]
No comments:
Post a Comment