Trials Of Life: COURTING

  1. The Indian Forican Bird leaps into the air to attract potential mates. Nightingales in England overwinter in Africa. When they arrive in England they sing into the night to attract night flying females.
  2. Dwarf Siberian Hamster females on the central Asian Steppes mark the entrance to their burrows at the time they are about to give birth with glandular secretions. These attract males in the area. They have three hours after bearing their young to provide them with milk before coming into heat again for their
    next mating.
  3. On coral reefs Butterfly Fish and Angel Fish are of similar size and shape. They attract mates by species distinctive markings. Each has its very distinctive coloration and color patterns.
  4. Boobies, a type of sea birds signal to each other with colored feet. Blue Footed Boobies not only signal but also attract potential mates by placing nesting materials on the females feet to signal their intentions.
  5. Male ducks during mating season have distinctive colored plumage to signal to females. Classic examples are Wood Ducks and Mergansers. Females are always drab colored for protection sake. Male ducks imprint on their mothers at hatching and in this way learn the appearance of their species females
    for mating. If they imprint on the wrong species then mating can not take place.
  6. Central American Helicopter Damselfly males stake out pools of water to attract females. These are the largest Damselfly species in the world. They are spider hunters. They capture spiders out of their own webs for food. North American Hanging Flies attract potential females by bribing them with food. They then mate while the females are eating.
  7. Tropic Birds and Hawks do spectacular flight displays in courtship and mating.
  8. Red Banded Salamanders droppings are evaluated by females to determine the males diet. This lets her know if the male has a good territory relative to food supply. Termites are favored food ants are not. After making her determination she follows the male to his burrow and mates with him.
  9. Bull Moose establish their territory by urinating in a dug pit. This attracts females that wallow in the deposit. This marks them with scent and lest the males know that they are ready to mate.
  10. Sack Winged Bats in Trinidad let off perfume to attract mates. Male Epauletted Bats attract females by flashing white patches under the wings. Lyre Birds of Australia dance for females. In special clearings. Tragopans of Western China use inflated blue wattles to attract mates. Courtship dances by Standard Winged Birds of Paradise from the Mollucas, Peacocks Pheasants from the Philippines, and Peacocks from India use elaborate feather displays to attract females.
  11. Bower Bird males construct display areas that they ornament with colored materials from their surrounds to attract females. In Trinidad Manikin birds attract females with colors and dance displays. The Long Tailed Manikin males dance in pairs for females.
  12. n Africa Topi Antelope establish staging areas to attract females. The strongest are near the centers of these closely packed staging areas. Those near the center are preferred by the females. Lesser males are at the edges where they are subject to predation.