mating behavior – News Stories About mating behavior - Page 1

Faced With Unwanted Mating,
Female Frogs Fake Death

NEW STUDY

Oct 13, 2023 10:37 AM CDT

Faced With Unwanted Mating, Female Frogs Fake Death

'Surprising' behavior thought to help females escape from potentially deadly 'mating balls'

(Newser) - European common frogs often mate in what's called a "mating ball." In an attempt to reproduce, males seek out and cling to outnumbered females, even those already singled out by other males, in a potentially deadly struggle. As Science reports, females risk injury or drowning if unable...

The Loneliness of
the Eager-to-Mate
Male Sandpiper

NEW STUDY

Jan 9, 2017 1:54 PM CST

The Loneliness of the Eager-to-Mate Male Sandpiper

These boys fly hundreds of miles for a more-than-likely failed shot with a lady in a short mating season

(Newser) - You fly more than 100 miles for love. You get rejected. You fly another 100 miles. Another rejection. And another. That's the high-flying but futile sex life of the male pectoral sandpiper looking for love in northernmost Alaska, per a new study. Some males are more persistent than others,...

To Avoid Widows'
Kiss of Death,
Male Spiders
Chase Young Girls

Sep 22, 2016 4:44 PM CDT

To Avoid Widows' Kiss of Death, Male Spiders Chase Young Girls

A win-win: They live to tell the tale, and mate again

(Newser) - No one—but no one—likes to get killed for having sex, and as that is often the fate of male black widow spiders, the critters are evolving a mating tactic that is, anthropomorphically speaking, more than a little creepy. Researchers found a startling, and slightly unsettling, mating shift in...

When Courting, Spiders Eavesdrop on the Competition

This Spider Can
Eavesdrop on Its
Sexual Rivals

Aug 6, 2015 7:55 AM CDT

This Spider Can Eavesdrop on Its Sexual Rivals

Not only is courtship a learned behavior, but spiders pick it up quickly

(Newser) - It doesn't take much observational power to note that spiders have tiny brains. Really tiny. So the recent finding out of the University of Cincinnati —that they learn how to court mates by eavesdropping on the competition—is all the more impressive. "It’s a complex set...

Male Hummingbirds
Stab Each Other
in the Throat
for the Ladies

STUDY SAYS

Nov 5, 2014 12:00 PM CST

Male Hummingbirds Stab Each Other in the Throat for the Ladies

Scientists say males use their long, sharp beaks as weapons in mating ritual

(Newser) - Bigger is better if you're a male hummingbird. Scientists have discovered that males grow longer, sharper beaks than females as they age—which they then use to stab each other in the throat during an elaborate mating ritual, according to research carried out by University of Connecticut scientists. The...

Town Plagued by Mystery Hum

Possible culprit: mating fish

(Newser) - "It's a really low pitched sound that literally pulsates through the house." If that sounds like the kind of noise that would drive you crazy, be glad you don't live in Southampton. The British town is collectively pulling out its hair over an unexplained hum that...

Penguins Not Gay, Just Flirting

study says

Oct 21, 2010 3:02 AM CDT

Penguins Not Gay, Just Flirting

They need testosterone outlet until females are available, say researchers

(Newser) - Penguins aren't really gay , even though it may look that way, claims a new study. The lonely animals are just "flirting" with other guys because there aren't enough females to go around, say French researchers. Male bonding among king penguins has already been observed in zoos; researchers discovered that...