Love in the water world – mating rituals of aquatic animals

Dances, serenades, gifts, and caresses – these romantic gestures are not reserved only for humans. In the seas and oceans, love flourishes just as intensely as on land, and many pairs remain faithful to each other. Discover the most fascinating and adorable mating rituals of aquatic animals.

Engagement gift

Sometimes, one has to earn their way into favor. Gentoo penguins, inhabiting the cold oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Falkland Islands, hold stones in high esteem, using them to build their nests. As part of their courtship, males search for the most beautiful pebbles and present them to their chosen partners as engagement gifts. Scientists observing this selection process were impressed by the skill and selectiveness of these black-and-white birds.

Not pebbles, but true works of art enhance the mating rituals of pufferfish, found along the coast of Japan. To enchant their partner, males create intricate mandalas on the sandy seabed, with diameters reaching up to 2 meters. These perfectly symmetrical circles are decorated with shell fragments and colorful sediments. If the female appreciates the masterpiece, she will lay her eggs right in the center of the circle.

True homes are prepared for their chosen ones by males of damselfish. In early spring, they set to work, clearing underwater territories and arranging a space for feeding, a hideout in case of danger, and a nest… on a blanket of red algae. According to scientists, the thickness of this last element is the key factor that influences a female’s decision.

A love talent show

Nicknamed the Pavarotti of the oceans, the humpback whale can be heard from over 10,000 kilometers away during the mating season. Its love song, lasting from several minutes to as long as 24 hours, is a true musical composition with an incredibly complex structure, repeated multiple times without any mistakes. The goal is clear – to impress the females and deter rivals.

A slightly different courtship tactic is preferred by the vibrantly colored mandarinfish, small marine fish from the dragonet family. In the evening, females gather in the quiet corners of coral reefs to watch the males’ dance performances, enhanced by their psychedelic colors and almost feather-like fins. The atmosphere becomes so heated that the mandarins easily pair up and swim away, pressing their bellies together, only to release a mist of sperm and eggs into the water moments later.

Seahorses also dance, but their ritual could put even the most romantic married couples to shame. Every morning, a female and a male perform their underwater waltz, intertwining their tails and slowly twirling along the water column. Sometimes, they even change colors during the dance before drifting apart… only to meet again the next day and resume their pirouettes. Scientists believe this is a way to synchronize reproductive cycles and strengthen their monogamous bond. Perhaps it’s worth taking inspiration?

Intimate mating rituals in the underwater world

Foreplay in the ocean depths may include… a striptease. In Atlantic blue crabs, it is the female who takes the initiative in flirting. First, she entices the male with a perfume-like cocktail of her own pheromones, then sheds her shell, which would otherwise hinder copulation. Unlike males, females molt only once in their lifetime – after fertilization, they store the received sperm for up to two years, producing millions of eggs before eventually dying.

For fiddler crabs, found in the Indo-Pacific region, romance is less dramatic and does not require lifelong sacrifice. Scientists observing the seabed have noted that no female agrees to mate until she has been thoroughly pampered with gentle caresses. In many cases, the male must return to his chosen one multiple times and stroke her with his legs for several minutes before she finally allows him into her burrow.

Love can also be impulsive and possessive – in sharks, for example, foreplay involves numerous bites and the violent thrashing of the “in love” pair. Most octopuses are also aggressive lovers, with mating often ending in cannibalism. However, one species has managed to surprise biologists with its romance. Little-known and only discovered in 1991, the Pacific octopus species known as LPSO uses its tentacles for a genuine love embrace. Tightly pressed together, touching beaks and suckers like a kissing couple, they spend days in each other’s arms, even sharing meals!

main photo: Wolfgang Hasselmann / Unsplash