Dangerousliaisons

Mating can be painful in the animal kingdom, not least for one creature that loses its fur, before suffering internal bleeding, getting gangrene and then dropping down dead

series, describes the mating rituals as “dramatic and comedic”.

The Mating Game, which starts on BBC1 on October 3, will show that securing a partner for many creatures often involves fighting, pursuing – or being sneaky.

From the tiny marsupial that literally “loves” its partner to death and the snakes that enjoy orgies to the bee that loses its penis during sex – the natural world is a hotbed of dangerous liaisons

The BBC said the series shows the many ways nature uses to win “the one game that connects us all – that of finding a mate”. Here, we take a look at 10 of the animal kingdom’s deadliest and most spectacular mating rituals. organ and abdominal tissue are ripped from their body and left in the female.

ANGLER FISH

Mating begins when the male angler fish literally sinks his teeth into the female. He attaches himself permanently and lives as a parasite on the female’s larger body. However, as their bodies fuse, the male becomes completely absorbed into the female, losing any independent existence. All that remains are a pair of testicles, which the female keeps to use when she’s ready to reproduce.

They build elaborate nests together. They feed each other by regurgitating into the other’s mouth. They also mate for life. When separated from their mates, lovebirds have been known to die of a broken heart.

NURSERY WEB SPIDERS

The male comes bringing gifts of carcasses of prey wrapped in silk, which he gives to the female before copulating. Once thought to be a thoughtful show of paternal tendencies, scientists now believe it’s meant to prevent her from eating him.

GARTER SNAKE

The male porcupine opens by climbing a tree and soaking the female with urine from up to seven feet away. If she likes how it smells, then she will mate with him over and over again until he’s completely exhausted. The 12-hour mating period is enough to get the female pregnant 90 per cent of the time.