Lifelong monogamous relationships are common among humans but are far less so among the other members of the animal kingdom. It is estimated that 90% of bird species practice monogamy, while only 3-5% of mammals stick to a single partner for life.
Mating for life arises when it will give a higher reproductive success rate, like when male and female parental care is needed for offspring survival. Below are examples of animals that mate for life.
1. Australian Seahorses (Hippocampus whitei)
Generally, seahorses do not show faithfulness to a single mate, but the Australian Seahorses are the exception. Because these "swingers of the sea" cannot swim well, finding a mate is hard for them, leading to a low population density. Once a male and a female find each other, they stick together and maintain long-term monogamous pair bonds over successive brood cycles.
2. Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua)
All penguin species display sexually monogamous behavior in each breeding season except the Emperor Penguin, who takes whichever female is available. In the case of Gentoo Penguins, the male takes time to woo his mate by presenting her with a pebble. If his advances are accepted, they will build a nest together and breed together year after year. Infidelity is also not accepted in this species, as it is punishable by banishment from the colony.
3. Mantis Shrimp (Stomatopoda order)
Deep in the waters of the Pacific Ocean is a special kind of sponge called the Venus' Flower Basket. When this sponge dies, it leaves behind a silica skeleton that acts like glass that entraps a certain shrimp species.
A female and a male Mantis shrimp enter this glass house when they are young. Inside this lava-lamp-shaped skeleton, the pair of shrimp will start a family and live symbiosis with the sponge.
Eventually, the couple grows too big to get out, but their offspring are small enough to leave. This means that the parents are imprisoned in the glass house for the rest of their lives.
4. Shingleback Lizards (Tiliqua rugosa)
This animal is a short-tailed, slow-moving species of blue-tongued skink that is endemic to Australia. They live alone most of the year but reunite as monogamous pairs during the breeding season.
Shingleback lizards are one of the few reptiles known to return to the same mate year after year. Since courtship can be awkward, these 'sleepy lizards' choose to stay with the mate who is already winning them over. One pair under observation was found to be together for 27 years.
5. Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Atlantic puffins are small and distinctive black and white birds native to the North Atlantic region, such as New England, Eastern Canada, and Western Europe. They are known for mating with the same partner each year starting at five years old.
These birds are solitary at sea but reunite at breeding grounds and reconnect through mating rituals with their chosen partner. After successful mating, male and female puffins take turns incubating their eggs until their offspring hatches and makes its way to the ocean.
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