Which animals mate like humans?

In this brief article, we will answer the question, “Which animals mate like humans?”  and provide information on two kinds of monogamy, what is social monogamy as well as other animals that are monogamous.

Which animals mate like humans?

Beavers mate like humans. Beavers are sexually monogamous. Beavers can mate for life. If one partner dies, beavers tend to seek out another partner.

Beavers have close familial bonds and live with their family for life. The family might consist of mated males and females along with their offspring. In some beaver families, there might be older beavers present too. However, only the mated male and female mate with each other.

The offsprings can consist of offsprings born in this year and older offsprings that were born in the previous year. Offsprings born in this year can be called kits. These kits can learn to survive in about 2 years and leave their mothers before they give birth to another litter.

What are the two kinds of monogamy observed in animals? 

There are two kinds of monogamy as identified by scientists. One is animals that are sexually monogamous and mate with only one mate whereas other animals might be socially monogamous. Such animals will raise their offspring and pair with their partner but might breed with others.

Where can social monogamy be observed?

Social monogamy can be commonly observed in birds. This means that birds might pair and raise their offspring with one partner whereas they might mate with other birds.

Among mammals, however, monogamy is particularly rare and might be found in only very few species.

Which are some other animals that are monogamous?

• Canada geese are a bird that has a pretty choosy way of choosing its mate. Once it chooses its mate, they remain with them for life. They choose a mate which has a similar size to them.

If their mate dies, they can sort out another mate. For 1 year, Canadian geese can stay with their parents. After a year, they leave their family and start looking for mates by traveling with other young unpaired geese.

When it is time to mate, the pair will separate from their groups. The female will look for a nest to lay their eggs. The female would then incubate their eggs whereas the male would protect them by keeping a watch. After 40-50 days, the eggs would hatch.

• Red foxes are another set of monogamous creatures. However, all red foxes are not monogamous. Some red foxes can have multiple partners whereas others can exclusively choose to remain monogamous.

When kits are born, both mother and father care for them. The mother remains in the den and looks after the kits whereas the father goes out and brings food for them. When the kits grow up a bit, both mother and father leave dens to search for food for them.

• Coyotes mate for life. They live in closely knit social groups. Coyotes remain with each other till they die. If one of the partners dies, they look for a new partner and breed with them.

The mating season can range from February to March. However, only alpha pairs tend to mate. Pups born to coyotes can be born from April to May. Litters can range from 4-7 pups.

They live in a den. Both mother and father along with other coyotes can help care for pups. The pups can remain in dens for many weeks till they can travel short distances with their family.

The males leave their families once they mature. Females often remain in the group. In some packs, the older siblings can help in taking care of the younger pups.

• Sandhill cranes are birds that are monogamous as well. They attract their mate through elaborative dances. Once they choose a mate, they remain with that mate for their entire life.

If that mate passes away, they tend to choose another mate. Similar to Canadian geese, the female incubates their eggs while the male protects them. 

During the winter, they migrate along with their family groups. Young ones tend to leave their family when they are just 9 to 10 months old.

• Barn owls usually mate for life. However, in some instances, the males can mate with another female too. Males use mating flights to try and attract females. Males can also attract females by showcasing a nesting area and trying to fly around them.

Once they mate and the female lays eggs, the males deliver food to the female and their offspring. The mother cares for the chicks and feeds them.

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have answered the question, “Which animals mate like humans?” and provided information on two kinds of monogamy, what is social monogamy as well as other animals that are monogamous.

Reference

https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/big-features/these-animals-mate-for-life/