I have always believed that at least once in our lives, we think about the day we get married. For some, the idea starts when they meet their first crush in school; for others, when they reach a certain age and wonder why they’re still single.
When we find “the one,” we think about what kind of and spend the rest of their lives together. Animals also engage in long-term relationships when they find a mate suitable for them, the bond sometimes lasting for the rest of their lives.
Aside from being cute, the fact that animals can have love lives similar to ours is something we might be able to learn a thing or two from.
Together fur-ever
1. Grey wolf
Animal weddings
1. Costly canine ceremony
Wendy Diamond wrote a 2017 article for Animal Fair about the most expensive dog wedding in 2012, with Chilly the poodle and Baby Hope Diamond dressed in designer tux and gown.
A seven-piece orchestra played music as the canine couple walked down the aisle. Their wedding was recorded by the Guinness World of Record as “The Most Expensive Pet Wedding in History”, which cost over $275,000!
The best part? Everything in the wedding, from the costumes to the cake, were all donated – that these doggies’ parents didn’t even have to spend a dime.
2. Let love rain
In Takhatpur, one of India’s special towns, amphibian frog couples are joined together in matrimony, as reported by Kathryn Kattalia in a 2012 New York Daily News article.
This traditional ceremony, meant to summon rain, is a common practice in certain parts of India. The special bride and groom are dressed up for their wedding, with flowers decorating their slimy bodies. They are then made to share a kiss after their proverbial I-dos!
2. Gibbons
These apes practically mirror human relationships. Unlike other monogamous animals, they get to experience occasional infidelity. Some of them even go through breakups and even remarry, according to a Reader’s Digest article by Claire Nowak.
3. Beavers
In a 2015 Futurity article, Julie Ratty-Bu says beavers are monogamous beings. While having a tendency to mate with only one partner, researchers do not know much else about their mating lifestyle. They do tend to stay in family groups and seem to settle in an area longer as their population slowly increases in size.
4. Spectral Bats
While most bat species mate with different partners, the spectral bat is one of few monogamous bat species. These are the largest carnivorous bat species in the world whose male members stay to help feed and protect their young according to livescience.com.
In the name of love
Even though animals are diverse and have different personalities, we can’t deny the fact that we are not that different from them. Whether we choose to spend our lives with someone special or not, one thing that makes us the same is that all of us can feel, think, and choose for ourselves. Mammal, bird, fish, reptile, or amphibian, we are all capable of loving. Love is the strongest feeling of all, and it’s what makes us “one”.
This appeared in Animal Scene magazine’s June 2019 issue.
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