Humans in general are fascinated with sex. From movies to literature, sex and sexuality dominate the majority of mainstream media. But have you ever wondered whether it’s the same for animals? Animals do not have the same reproductive mechanisms as humans. Therefore, how do animals “do it”? To satisfy your curiosity and to save you the embarrassment of googling these questions, here are your questions about animal mating patterns answered. You know, for education.
How do different animals mate?
Fish
Depending on the type of fish, there are several methods through which fish can reproduce. The most common is egglaying, whereby the female fish lays eggs and the male fish follows closely behind to fertilize eggs. Other forms of fish reproduction include livebearing, breeding for profit, and even self-reproduction. In the case of clownfish, who are hermaphrodites, they first develop as males and later females as they mature. The most aggressive female is found at the top of their dominance hierarchy, and if she happens to die or is removed from the group, the next largest and most dominant male becomes the female. Puts a new perspective on Finding Nemo, doesn’t it?
Birds
Unlike most mammals, male birds do not have penises. Birds thus instead have an internal chamber that ends in an opening, known as a cloaca. Both male and female birds can have a cloaca and during sex the cloaca opening can discharge sperm or eggs. Cloacal openings of both male and female birds swell during mating season, allowing their reproductive organs to slightly protrude out of their bodies. To engage in sex, birds rub their swollen cloacas against one another, allowing the male’s sperm to be deposited into the female’s cloaca. The sperm then travels up the chamber to fertilize the egg.
As for the act itself, male birds usually perch on top of females in a “fine balancing act.” To expose her cloaca, the female moves her tail feathers, allowing the male to rub his cloaca against hers. However, despite the term “fine balancing act,” contrary to popular opinion, birds cannot actually have sex while in flight.
Bed Bugs
I’ve included bed bugs in this list because they have one of the most bizarre and horrific ways of producing that I’ve ever heard. Bed bugs reproduce through a practice scientists have named “traumatic insemination” and it’s every bit as horrifying as it sounds. Somewhere along the evolutionary tree, female bed bugs evolved to not have vaginal openings. As a response, male bed bugs evolved to developed sharp, knife-like penises in order to stab the female’s abdomen to inseminate her.
Yes, the male bed bug stabs the female with a knife-like penis. Slightly horrifying, I know. Oh, the things you learn in evolutionary biology.
Bonus 1: Do animals have periods?
Yes, animals do have periods, but only some. Unspayed dogs and cats get periods, but other animals such as birds and fish do not. During menstruation the make-up of the uterine lining being shed eventually turns into the placenta in pregnant females. Birds and fish usually lay eggs and thus do not form placentas to nourish their developing fetuses. Therefore, they do not have periods. As for other placental animals, it’s still uncertain why they do not have periods and is currently a contentious area of study.
Bonus 2: Are there any homosexual animals?
Yes! Homosexual behaviour has been observed in and is a norm for many animal species such as penguins, fruit flies, and macaques – the list is endless. Roy and Silo, chinstrap penguins currently living at the New York City’s Central Park Zoo, are a same-sex male pair. They have been used in many arguments in favour of same-sex marriage. Same-sex attraction is a natural behaviour that can be observed in various animals on earth and proves that it’s not just humans that can be attracted to the same sex.