Deb D’Andrea, Nederland.   When thinking of a relationship, many have an understanding of their human relationships, be it with their partner, their siblings, family members, children, or friends. These relationships correspond to the animal world in some fashion, with wolf packs being the most similar to a human pack containing a father, mother and young, and mating for life.

Other species, like Gibbons, show that while they typically do mate for life, mates will occasionally cheat on each other. After being together for 115 years, a pair of giant tortoises living at the Reptilian Zoo Happ in Austria broke up. The zoo staff noticed the female attacking the male for no apparent reason and placed them in separate habitats hoping for a future reconciliation.

This is not the norm. More than 90 percent of animals are promiscuous, entertaining multiple partners, mating with each other and then moving on after a short time. The Queen bee is a perfect example as she can mate with more than 40 drones, helping the hive to thrive. Each male bee that mates with the Queen dies after.

Bonobo chimpanzees are another species that engage in group sex and practice free love with many partners. Similar to the chimpanzees are the hedge sparrows, who after paring with a male, keep an eye out for extramarital partners. The female barn swallows seek the males with the most sheen on their breast and belly feathers, judging males by their looks.

If you’ve ever been to Rocky National Park during elk mating season, you’ve witnessed the posturing and foreplay dance of the bull elk as they compete for the right to mate. A bull elk may have anywhere of 5 to 60 cows in their harem. This type of courtship display is common in the animal world, with some like the male Bower birds building a structure out of leaves, sticks, and bottle caps to attract and seduce their mate.

Male Birds of Paradise are known for their amazing courtship displays as they hop, shake, flap and flutter to win over their female mate.

Most people have read about spiders and their mating rituals, but few have witnessed the Jumping Spider dance where the male beats his abdomen, waves his front legs and dances to his mate, gently taping the female and then mounting her. If not done just right, he’s dinner.

Till next time. Deb D’Andrea, founder of 4TheLuvOfDogz, provides mobile Canine Massage, Canine Agility and Petz Nanny Services for dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses, and other critters. 4TheLuvOfDogz home-made dog treats and K9Birthday Cakes are available direct. Contact Deb at 720-675-7078 or email at info@4theluvofdogz.com for more information.