Human dating behaviour is something that is often replicated for the screens. As such, we have a general idea about how people get together, decide to be together and how they eventually fall in love. The behaviour of mating animals has also been recorded, so that we can study understand these behaviours that these animals exhibit. It is interesting to see how these animals decide on who to spend their time with, whether just for one mating season or for the rest of their lives. 

While some animals are only together for one mating season, to reproduce and run, prairie voles are a perfect example of monogamous behaviour. Male and females of this species pick lifelong partners with which they huddle and groom. They also share the responsibility for raising their pups as well the responsibilities for the nest. Prairie Voles in both the wild and the labs have naturally short life expectancies, but even in these short times, they spend a large amount of that time with their mate. In 80% of cases, after the death of a prairie voles mate, it will not take another mate for the rest of its life, even if they live out their entire life out in the wild. Though this faithful behaviour doesn’t extend to sexual mating habits, they spend the majority of all of their time together as a constant source of comfort for their mate. It is interesting to see this loyal behaviour among creatures who at face value would be labelled simple and primitive. Perhaps it is an adaptive behaviour, but none the less, it is nice to see. 

Some creatures have different habits to the majority of species even including the majority of humans. This is something that can be said for the New Mexican Whip-tailed lizard, also known as the lesbian lizard because of their mating behaviour. If the nickname does not give the game away, there are no males of this species and all of the females reproduce asexually. This does not mean that they do not partake in sexual or what is considered traditionally considered mating activity. In fact, the more ‘simulated’ sex these lizards partake in, the more that they are able to reproduce. Those who do not have simulated sex whatsoever are unable to reproduce or lay eggs. They create these eggs internally without the support of any males but the simulated sex is still required for reproduction, which is why they are known as lesbian lizards as the sex is amongst members of the same species and also gender.

It is interesting to take a look at the romantic and sexual habits of the animals in the world around us, as well as a look at the behaviour we ourselves as a species exhibit. Perhaps our observed behaviour of animals is more accurate than our own opinion of our own personal behaviour. Everyone acts differently and the media simulations are never going to be one-hundred per cent accurate to everyone’s personal experience of sexual activities and romance. 

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_vole#:~:text=The%20prairie%20vole%20is%20a,high%20level%20of%20affiliative%20behavior.
• https://www.npr.org/2014/02/09/273811514/learning-about-love-from-the-lifelong-bond-of-the-prairie-vole?t=1620331274903
• https://blog.nature.org/science/2016/02/09/ten-strange-endearing-and-alarming-mating-habits-of-the-animal-world/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_whiptail#:~:text=The%20whiptail%20engages%20in%20mating,mate%22%20do%20not%20lay%20eggs.