Males that live in pairs. The most faithful couples of the animal world

It just so happened that we are accustomed to consider monogamy as a form of human marital relations. But, as it turns out, it is characteristic and certain types animals. There are not so many representatives of monogamous animals - there are too many. Nevertheless, their relationship can cause true admiration, and the fidelity of individuals to each other can only be envied.

But let's, nevertheless, return to the very concept of monogamy. It is nothing but loyalty to the same partner throughout life. At the same time, fidelity can be both sexual and social. Animals can raise offspring together and take care of each other. At the same time, monogamy in some representatives of the animal world can be observed only during the mating season. The rest of the time they live apart.

As a rule, representatives of monogamous relationships do not have a hierarchy. They are equal in rights, have approximately the same age, height and weight. All responsibilities for raising offspring and obtaining food, they divide in half. If one of them dies, the second hard to endure this fact.

Before choosing a partner, animals carefully study each other. The female, for example, closely evaluates the male's living conditions and his physical capabilities, and not only those related to the reproduction of offspring, but also the production of food. The choice is made only if there are no shortcomings.

Some birds choose their partner in a rather original way. They appreciate his paternal qualities, pretending to be chicks and plaintively eating. If the male reacts correctly to this, the choice will be in his favor, if not, the female will turn away from him. She-wolves, monkeys, and spiders check their partner in the same way. In addition, the female can test the strength of her chosen one by provoking fights with other males. The male also chooses a partner, though according to a smaller number of signs.

Swans are considered the most faithful. These birds are completely monogamous. Partners are faithful to each other all their lives and never quarrel. The second place in terms of monogamy is occupied by pigeons. In people, they are associated with love, fidelity, tenderness and romance. One has only to look with what trepidation the dove takes care of the dove and how gently kisses her. And it is impossible to look at his mating dance without tenderness. And, of course, they share all their duties in half. Together they build a nest, raise and feed their offspring together, take turns incubating eggs.

monogamous relationship exist in vultures. Ignore their gloomy appearance. He is deceitful. These birds are incredibly devoted to each other. A flock of vultures sacredly honors the traditions of monogamy. If someone tries to break them, he will be condemned and doomed to loneliness.

Believe it or not, crows are also monogamous. They are faithful to each other all their lives. If the male dies, then the female remains alone until the end of her days.

Very strong and faithful couples exist among gibbons. As soon as the male finds his chosen one, he loudly serenades her. The newly created couple chooses a territory for themselves and builds their home on it. The offspring, upon reaching puberty, are expelled from the enclave and set off in search of their mate.

The relationship between wolves deserves special attention. The male remains faithful to his chosen one, takes care of her and will never leave her in trouble. He shares the food he gets with the cubs and the female, even if he is very hungry.

Monogamy exists in pygmy African antelopes. The male constantly takes care of the female. The most interesting thing is that he is of little interest to the offspring. He devotes all his attention to his chosen one.

Monogamous relationships exist in foxes, beavers, geese, penguins, albatrosses, spiders, angelfish and some other animals. Their loyalty can only be envied.

monogamous animals. Top 10 most faithful monogamous animals.

white swans

Swan fidelity is a symbol of eternal love and devotion. All swans are monogamous birds, form pairs for life and are together even during wintering. A change of partner is possible only in the event of the death of one of them.

steppe voles

Steppe voles, unlike their close relatives meadow and mountain voles, lead a monogamous lifestyle. The fact is that when prairie voles mate, they produce two hormones that are perceived by receptors in certain areas of the brain. Therefore, the male remains faithful to his female throughout his life, showing no interest in other females.

Antelope dik-dik Kirk

These antelopes live in pairs in small herds and are monogamous mammals. Males mate with only one female. After the birth of offspring, males not only do not take care of their offspring, but also expel strong cubs from their area.

Wolves

Wolves, like penguins from a series of monogamous animals, lead a family lifestyle. There is one female per male, they live in pairs, which form for many years and break up only when one of the partners dies. During the barrack period, female wolves are very aggressive even to immature rivals.

bald eagle

Monogamous birds of prey remain faithful throughout their lives and change partners only if one dies. The first weeks after the appearance of the chicks, the female is constantly with the cubs, and the male is engaged in the extraction of food.

Penguins

These flightless seabirds of Antarctica create family pairs for many years. One pair each season returns to the same colony for seasonal breeding. Both parents alternately take part in hatching and feeding the chicks.

Spiders Argiope Aurantia

In some species of spiders, after fertilization, the females eat their male. males yellow spider sacrifice their lives in the process of mating. The males of this species have two genital organs, the palps, with which they manage to close the channels of the female during mating, thereby preventing her from copulating with another partner. After completing its function, the male dies, and the female still for a long time stays with the "chastity belt".

Hammerhead shark

Females of this species of sharks can mate with multiple males and store their sperm for later use in fertilization, so scientists have suggested that the cubs may be from different males. However, studies have shown that children born from the same father.

red salamander

Males of the red or fire salamander, although monogamous, are very jealous. Suspecting their female of infidelity, they begin physical and sexual persecution. Females, in turn, have learned to skillfully avoid any kind of harassment.

Black vultures

For black vultures, maintaining monogamy is a family matter. They not only live in pairs, but also nest together, incubate their eggs together and take care of their offspring. The betrayal of one of the partners can cause the wrath of the whole pack.
And you, loving and faithful?

“Coo like doves”, “keep swan fidelity” - love relationship, which reign in the animal world, sometimes become symbols of tenderness, care and devotion. Some species of birds and animals form strong family unions for several seasons, or even until the end of their lives.

About which representatives of the fauna are exemplary family men, AiF-Petersburg told Pavel Glazkov, expert in the field of mating behavior of animals, candidate of biological sciences, director of the New Zoological Museum.

Live together, on vacation - apart

Storks try never to part. Photo: AiF / Stanislav Lomakin

Storks form alliances for life. The male is constantly with his chosen one, helps her incubate the chicks, feeds her and protects her.

However, unlike swans, which try to never part, these birds fly away separately for the winter. Every spring they meet in the same place, returning to the nest with a difference of only a couple of days. Observations of one pair showed that the male flew away to wait out the cold in South Africa, while the female wintered in Spain. But, despite this, in the spring they returned to the nest with a difference of only two days.

True, there are exceptions. If one of the spouses does not arrive for a long time, the second partner can start searching new love. There was a case when the male waited until the last, but, without waiting, he invited a young stork to his place. Three days later, as luck would have it, his former girlfriend returned. A fierce fight broke out between the females. It is interesting that at this time the male flew off to feed in the far field, giving the ladies the opportunity to figure it out for themselves. The older female won the duel, driving the young rival out of the nest.

pigeon milk

The pigeon is always ready to help the female in hatching the chicks. Photo: pixabay.com

An ordinary rock dove can form strong pairs both for several seasons and for life. Every year this bird uses the same nest. If the couple does not yet have it, then the right to choose the place where it appears belongs to the male. He brings materials in his beak, and the nest is already being built by the female.

Often she hatches chicks, but if she needs to go somewhere, the male is ready to replace her and sits on the eggs himself. When the chicks hatch, the parents take turns feeding them.

An amazing fact: these birds secrete the so-called pigeon milk to feed their chicks. A week before the chicks hatch, the goiter begins to swell in the female and male. In the goiter, a mushy white substance is produced, which is called pigeon milk. It is high in calories and rich in protein. It is to them that pigeons feed chicks in the first weeks of life.

It is worth noting that the female can start laying new eggs at a time when the chicks are not yet on the wing. Then the male alone feeds the chicks. Pigeon love is a good example of a real strong family.

Fearless Defenders

Gray crows form pairs for life. Photo: pixabay.com

All corvids - rooks, ravens and ravens - are monogamous and form very stable pairs. There is no doubt that these are highly intelligent birds.

The well-known gray crows sometimes form pairs for life. Every year they build new nests, choosing the cleanest places for this. Ravens are sensitive to the ecological state of the environment.

When the female sits on the nest, the male feeds and guards her all the time. He is always with her. When the chicks appear, the parents take turns bringing them food. There is a rigid distribution of responsibilities in a couple.

Crows have been known to attack humans. This happens in one case - when a person approaches their chicks. Gray crows are very brave birds that know no fear when we are talking about protecting their chicks.

stepfather foxes

If a father foxes die, another male adopts them. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Foxes form pairs for the entire breeding season. It is interesting that their mating games begin in February, and the female begins to prepare for them from the end of autumn. She builds a hole into which she will then lead the male. We can say that Lisovin is a kind of gigolo who does not have his own home.

At the end of winter, after fights for the attention of the female, the winner has the right to approach her. If she liked him, she invites him to her place. After mating, two months later, the couple has cubs. It is interesting that in the first week the male feeds the fox: it does not come out of the hole. Then they start eating in turn. The male is with her all the time until the cubs begin to lead an independent lifestyle.

Many animals, including foxes, mark their territory. They make marks so that a stranger does not enter their territory, and there are no collisions. If suddenly the fox dies, then the “neighbors” will soon find out about this, as the smell disappears. Miracles happen: bachelors who could not get a couple begin to run from the surrounding areas. They begin to spin around the widow's hole. It happens that up to five males claim her attention. During this period, there are fierce fights for the right to become a stepfather. These collisions are as bright in intensity as marriage.

The strongest stays with the female, lives with her in a hole and helps her raise foxes. It is worth noting that mating between them does not occur. Here is such a craving for family life in foxes.

Platonic love of raccoon dogs

Male raccoon dog taking care of the female. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Surprising mating behavior in a raccoon dog. They usually form pairs for a year, sometimes they stay together for several years. A curious fact: reproduction occurs in the spring, while they form pairs in the fall - when the level of hormones is still in a normal state. Having chosen a suitable partner for themselves, they lie down together in a hibernation hole, in the spring, waking up, mate and calmly raise puppies.

At this time, the male spends all the time with the female, constantly feeds her and puppies - until they begin to lead an independent lifestyle in the fall.

beaver matriarchy

In the family of beavers, the main one is the female. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Good family men include beavers - real hydraulic engineers in the world wildlife. The beaver family is very strong. It is a rigid matriarchy. The female is larger, more aggressive and stronger than the male. Most often it is she who is engaged in the construction and arrangement of the dam. The female also fights other beavers more often to defend her territory.

In most animals, as soon as the young become independent, they leave their parents. In beavers, "children" live with mom and dad for two years. One of the reasons for this is that seniors need time to learn from the experience of building dams, because this is not an easy engineering structure.

At the same time, the older beavers, who are two years old, peacefully get along with the younger ones. Older brothers and sister take care of the kids, play with them and help them. Only when they begin puberty do they leave their father's house.

Wolf idyll

Often, wolves that have lost a mate no longer create pairs. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Wolves know about lifelong devotion. Cases are known that males who have lost a girlfriend no longer create pairs.

In a flock, only the smartest, strongest individuals - the alpha female and the alpha male - have the right to breed. They always have to confirm their dominance, because everyone wants to become "alpha". During the showdown, the male and female "alpha pair" help each other. If a young challenger attacks the leader, his girlfriend always comes to the defense. In their union there is a strong cohesion.

Before giving birth, the couple leaves the pack, equips the den. The male is constantly with his chosen one. After the appearance of offspring, he feeds her for the first time. Then both parents feed, care for and protect their defenseless wolf cubs. Babies are brought into the flock at the age of one to two months. Such is the wolf family idyll.

Loyalty is not only the prerogative of people, often animals demonstrate amazing examples of fidelity and devotion to their soul mate…

1. Gibbons

Gibbons are the closest relatives of a person who create couples for life. Their unions are unusually strong, and they exhibit low sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females are about the same size. This is proof of the fact that both sexes have approximately the same rights in relationships.

2. Swans

Swans form monogamous pairs that exist for many years, and in some cases for a lifetime. Their devotion is so well described in the literature that the image of two swimming swans with their necks curved in the shape of a heart has become an almost universal symbol of love.

3. Black vultures

Looking good is not a requirement for a committed relationship. Black vultures confirm this fact. They have been known to attack other vultures when they start to whore!

4. French bristletooth

It is unlikely that you will ever find a French bristletooth alone - these creatures live, travel and even hunt in pairs. These fish form monogamous bonds that often last as long as the partners live. Moreover, they act as a team, resolutely defending their territory from neighboring pairs.

5. Wolves

In folklore, wolves are portrayed as rogues and swindlers, but in reality these animals lead family life which is more faithful and pious than many relationships between people. As a rule, packs consist of males and females and their offspring, which, in essence, makes wolf packs look like a nuclear family.

6. Albatrosses

An albatross can fly a long distance over the ocean, but despite such long journeys, this bird will always return to the same place - and to the same partner - when it is time to breed. Bonds between males and females are formed over several years and last a lifetime, held together by stupid but loving ritual dances.

7. Termites

In an ant colony, the queen mates with one or more males, stores gametes all her life, and the male ant dies shortly after mating. In contrast, male and female termites can mate for life, literally giving life to an entire kingdom.

8. Steppe voles

Although most rodents are promiscuous, prairie voles break that reputation by forming typically monogamous pairs that sometimes last a lifetime. Moreover, prairie voles are considered an animal model of monogamy in humans. They snuggle and groom each other, share nesting and raising responsibilities, and generally display a high level of supportive behaviour.

9 Bald Eagles

They are the national emblem of the United States, and when it comes to maintaining relationships, bald eagles rise much higher than the country they symbolize. As a rule, bald eagles create couples for life, except in cases of death or impotence of a partner.

10. Beavers

Believe it or not, beavers are extremely loyal animals. These rodents live, on average, for about 25 years. The main thing in the family is the beaver, so we can talk about a peculiar form of matriarchy. The mating season lasts from mid-January to the end of February.

Only one family lives in beaver huts. Until the female gives birth to offspring, the beaver father provides her with food. The born beavers live in the parental home for up to two years, and then they leave to build their own dwelling.

By the way, “tenants”, for example, a muskrat, often live in a hut with a pair of beavers. Neighbors arrange their own housing so as not to interfere with the owners.

11. Hyena dogs

These inhabitants of the African steppes and savannas are another example of monogamy in the animal kingdom. Being the closest relatives of red wolves, hyena-like dogs lead a lifestyle very similar to that of wolves.

The flock is headed by one dominant pair, regularly giving offspring. Moreover, the male and female in this pair are faithful to each other throughout their lives and often after the death of one of the partners lose their dominant position.

12. barn owls

These birds, found on the territory of Russia only in the Kaliningrad region, create a couple of times and for life. And, oddly enough, the male takes care of the development of relations.

The courtship period lasts about a year, and during the mating season, the male builds a nest in a place suitable for breeding offspring and actively invites the chosen one to become the mistress of the nest. The final chord is the presentation of specially caught prey as a gift.

While the female incubates the eggs and guards the hatched chicks, the male fully provides them with food - this is his main duty, which he seems to fulfill with pride.

13 Emperor Penguins

Another unusually faithful and caring lovers of the animal world. Finding a partner with them is a responsible and far from fast business. But the resulting couple has an amazing mutual understanding.

The male penguin fully shares the care of the offspring with the female: it helps to incubate the egg, brings food if the female cannot leave the cub. Follows the cub while the female feeds. If suddenly the female dies for some reason, the father penguin completely takes over the educational functions.

Detect language Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Basque Belarusian Bengali Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Cebuano Chichewa Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Corsican Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Esperanto Estonian Filipino Finnish French Frisian Galician Georgian German Greek Gujarati Haitian Creole Hausa Hawaiian Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Icelandic Igbo Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Kazakh Khmer Korean Kurdish Kyrgyz Lao Latin Latvian Lithuanian Luxembourgish Macedonian Malagasy Malay Malayalam Maltese Maori Marathi Mongolian Myanmar (Burmese) Nepali Norwegian Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Samoan Scots Gaelic Serbian Sesotho Shona Sindhi Sinhala Slovak Slovenian Somali Spanish Sundanese Swahili Swedish Tajik Tamil Telugu Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Uzbek Vietnamese Welsh Xhosa Yiddish Yoruba Zulu

Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Basque Belarusian Bengali Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Cebuano Chichewa Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Corsican Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Esperanto Estonian Filipino Finnish French Frisian Galician Georgian German Greek Gujarati Haitian Creole Hausa Hawaiian Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Icelandic Igbo Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Kazakh Khmer Korean Kurdish Kyrgyz Lao Latin Latvian Lithuanian Luxembourgish Macedonian Malagasy Malay Malayalam Maltese Maori Marathi Mongolian Myanmar (Burmese) Nepali Norwegian Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Samoan Scots Gaelic Serbian Sesotho Shona Sindhi Sinhala Slovak Slovenian Somali Spanish Sundanese Swahili Swedish Tajik Tamil Telugu Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Uzbek Vietnamese Welsh Xhosa Yiddish Yoruba Zulu

Created on 04/13/2011 11:34 AM

Humans like to think of themselves as loyal and devoted creatures, but upon closer examination, it turns out that many animals show the best examples of maintaining a collaborative relationship. While monogamy and family bonds for life are generally rare in the animal kingdom, below is a list of animals that are out of trend.

gibbons

Gibbons are the closest relatives of a person who create couples for life. Their unions are unusually strong, and they exhibit low sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females are about the same size. This is proof of the fact that both sexes have approximately the same rights in relationships.

Swans

Swans form monogamous pairs that exist for many years, and in some cases for a lifetime. Their devotion is so well described in the literature that the image of two swimming swans with their necks curved in the shape of a heart has become an almost universal symbol of love.

Black vultures

Looking good is not a requirement for a committed relationship. Black vultures confirm this fact. They have been known to attack other vultures when they start to whore!

French bristletooth

It is unlikely that you will ever find a French bristletooth alone - these creatures live, travel and even hunt in pairs. These fish form monogamous bonds that often last as long as the partners live. Moreover, they act as a team, resolutely defending their territory from neighboring pairs.

Wolves

In folklore, wolves are portrayed as rogues and swindlers, but in reality, these animals lead a family life that is more faithful and pious than many human relationships. As a rule, packs consist of males and females and their offspring, which, in essence, makes wolf packs look like a nuclear family.

Albatrosses

An albatross can fly a long distance over the ocean, but despite such long journeys, this bird will always return to the same place - and to the same partner - when it is time to breed. Bonds between males and females are formed over several years and last a lifetime, held together by stupid but loving ritual dances.

termites

In an ant colony, the queen mates with one or more males, stores gametes all her life, and the male ant dies shortly after mating. In contrast, male and female termites can mate for life, literally giving life to an entire kingdom.

steppe voles

Although most rodents are promiscuous, prairie voles break that reputation by forming typically monogamous pairs that sometimes last a lifetime. Moreover, prairie voles are considered an animal model of monogamy in humans. They snuggle and groom each other, share nesting and raising responsibilities, and generally display a high level of supportive behavior.

common turtledoves

In many works, turtledoves appear in pairs, and over time they have become a symbol of love and devotion. They even inspired Shakespeare to write The Phoenix and the Dove.

bald eagles

They are the national emblem of the United States, and when it comes to maintaining relationships, bald eagles rise much higher than the country they symbolize. As a rule, bald eagles create couples for life, except in cases of death or impotence of a partner.