What A Way To Go! 10 of the Most Unfortunate Animals Who Die During Or After Their Mating Ritual

#6. Squids have an interesting reproductive ritual

Years of research and observation has yielded astonishing results about the mating rituals of squids. When the mating season begins, large schools of males and females gather around at dawn. The males start swimming together in large circles and the females soon join in. The males change color to attract females. Soon, the circles will be filled with pairs of squids who are ready to mate. The male Dana Octopus first uses its sharp claws to pierce a hole in the female. Then the male inserts its appendage into the female’s pierced hole and fertilizes her. The Greater Hooked Squid on the other hand releases sperms that are equipped with tissue dissolving enzyme. The sperms burrow their way through the female’s skin. Once the female is fertilized, she is capable of producing thousands of eggs at a time.

The baby squids are born natural swimmers and are capable of fending for themselves. The adults on the other hand have a short life span and usually die after reproducing.

#7. Brazilian Slender Opossums: The males die after mating and the females after giving birth

Mating is an important part of life in humans as well as the animal kingdom but have you ever heard of an animal that is so dedicated to passing on its genes, that it literally dies from exhaustion? This recently discovered species of marsupial mates up to 14 hours with as many females as possible. During the mating season, the male releases so much stress hormones that its body literally shuts down. The male would randomly grab females and promiscuously mate until they die.

#8. Trans Volcanic bunchgrass lizards have a relatively short life and die soon after mating

The Trans Volcanic bunchgrass lizards are unique when it comes to semelparity. The males outlive the females for almost seven months. Their lifespan is relatively short and become mature within five months after birth. Once mature enough, they will linger around to mate and reproduce only once in life. After a successful mating session, the female will live for another two or three months and die of natural causes. The male will outlive its partner and live for another 7-8 months. Trans Volcanic bunchgrass lizards do not have a specific season for mating.

#9. Bed bugs exert a scary mating behavior called “Traumatic Insertion”

Mating is not always thrilling and exciting in nature. Bed bugs are the perfect example of this, since they practice mating through a process called Traumatic Insertion. The male does not put any effort into finding the female’s reproductive organs. Instead, this bug stabs his woman in the stomach and fertilizes her. The sperms then travel within the female’s body and reach the ovaries. Though it sounds painful and scary, this unusual method is a natural process for bed bugs.

#10. Flatworms display affection by fencing

Sea slugs are hermaphrodites, which means they can have both male and female reproductive organs or characteristics. So, when it’s mating season, the flatworms go around fencing each other. Their reproductive organ is like a dagger, which they also use to hunt their prey with. If a flatworm is jabbed by another, it has to give up all of it’s resources to become a mother. The stabbed flatworm will accept motherhood, while the other lives a happy bachelor life.

Sources: Nat Geo 1, 2.

Photo courtesy: New Atlantis WILD, Kathy.

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