In the Wild

Ah, spring, when a young bird’s fancy turns to… procreation. Lots of animals are mating right now: here are some of their more unusual rituals

Sea slug | COASTAL B.C.

Even the humble sea slug (Alderia modesta) has to fight for love. The animals each have both male and female genitals, but they can’t fertilize themselves. To decide who gets to play the male role and who gets to play the female role, the slugs fight with their genitals in a ritual known as “penis fencing,” during which they try to inseminate one another.

American white pelican | PRAIRIES

You think dating is hard for humans? Try being an American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). These birds have just a few weeks after landing in Saskatchewan around now to make a year-long match with a breeding partner. In pursuit of a partner, the males do elaborate dances. Maybe they look silly to us, but it works in attracting female pelicans

Hooded seal |

ARCTIC AND NORTH ATLANTIC

Hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) have a stretchy “hood” inside their nose. During mating season, males inflate their hood, which is bright pinky-red, to attract mates and display aggression towards potential rivals.

Bluegill |

ONTARIO AND QUEBEC

For bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus), it pays to get pretty. Older, non-dominant male bluegills fake being female so they can mix in among dominant males and beat them to fertilizing a real female’s eggs. To do this, they adopt the colouration of the females

American nursery web spider |

ONTARIO, QUEBEC AND NOVA SCOTIA

What a cad! The male nursery web spider (Pisaurina mira) offers the female an edible “nuptial gift” wrapped in his silk, which she must accept before he can mate with her. Sometimes, males offer fake gifts, like an inedible seed pod hidden in many layers of silk, to try to finish mating before the female discovers the deception.