The Mating Game Natural World


The Mating Game

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East Africa,...

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..and something is stirring in the grass.

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These male widow birds are desperately flinging

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themselves into the air...

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..all to try and impress the ladies.

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One female flies in for a closer look whilst

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he proudly shows off around a grassy palace, built purely for effect.

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Animals will go to extraordinary lengths to win a mate.

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There are show-offs and romantics...

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..singers and dancers, even some who resort to brute force.

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The challenges of winning a perfect partner create some of the most

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beautiful and spectacular sights in the natural world.

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Yet it's also a far more complex contest than we might imagine.

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Beneath the surface lies a web of intrigue, surprising strategy

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and fascinating biology.

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Science is slowly revealing what it takes to win at the mating game.

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The Arctic, millions of square miles of empty ice.

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Polar bears are normally solitary.

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You might think that even finding a partner in this desolate

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landscape would be a real challenge.

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But they have an excellent sense of smell

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and can detect another bear from miles away.

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Male bears can spend weeks tracking the scent of a female

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who's ready to mate.

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They sniff closely to size each other up.

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She'll raise her cubs alone, devoting herself to them

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for two, even three years. It's a huge commitment of time

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and effort, so it's vital to pick a male who will provide strong

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and healthy genes for her offspring.

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It looks as though she's going to put this potential suitor

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through his paces!

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She leads him up and down the slopes.

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It's as if she's testing his fitness.

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They start to play.

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Courtship is one of the few times that adult animals play together.

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This slope is rather steep for the heavier male.

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It's no good. He can't quite manage it.

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But she seems to have decided that he might be The One...

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..whilst he seems to have lost interest.

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It's her turn to do the chasing

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and she's got a few tricks up her sleeve.

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That was enough to entice him up again!

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Now that she's reeled him in,

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she goes straight back to giving him the run-around.

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Choosing partners who can prove how fit and strong they are

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is a useful strategy in the mating game, and it's often the females

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who do the choosing and the males who have to make all the effort.

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In the tropical forests of New Guinea, one male is dedicated to

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making an unforgettable first impression.

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The six-plumed bird of paradise is cleaning his display ground.

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He obsessively tidies every fallen leaf.

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His stage must be meticulously tidy

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for what will be an incredible performance.

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A few attractive berries to help decorate the floor.

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His final touch is hardly ever seen.

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Might he think he's found a bit of old snake skin?

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Some scientists believe he's trying to add the scent of a snake to

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ward off predators. For others, it's a cleaning cloth

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and he's polishing a perch for a female.

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Later, he uses a bigger bit of rag and does the same.

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Only strong, healthy and well-fed males can afford the time

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and effort for the most meticulous preparation

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and, in theory, they're the ones with better genes to pass on.

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He'll have a highly critical audience, so it's time to

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rehearse the main act.

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His dance steps perfected,

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he's ready to start the show for real.

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He spots a female nearby,

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so quickly goes to get more berries to tempt her in.

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Disaster! He's left his polishing rag on the dance floor.

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It's perfect for her nest! She flies off without even

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seeing his dance. He delivers his berries too late.

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He never got a chance to win her heart

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and he lost his precious polishing cloth.

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Back to work.

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For a choosy female, displays are an excellent way to assess

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the qualities of a potential partner.

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They're full of clues as to how good the male's genes might be.

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Physical features, like those extraordinary feathers,

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might also be a sign of how strong and successful this male is.

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It's all a matter of taste.

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Different species are attracted to different features.

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As fussy females favour particular attributes, they become exaggerated

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over generations, leading to ever more elaborate and extreme displays.

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Fancy feathers, red faces,...

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..blue faces,...

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..large noses.

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Beauty is all in the eye of the beholder...

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..and it's not just stunning visuals that can win a mate.

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Off the tropical paradise of Tonga, you can hear

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perhaps the loudest love song in the world.

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WHALE SONG

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Male humpback whales repeat each other's songs

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and add to them, so they become ever more complex and beautiful,

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showing off their memory as well as sheer volume.

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Listening carefully to this song is a female humpback whale.

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She's here with last year's calf

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and is ready to conceive another one.

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He stops singing and follows her.

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He may sing to her again but not if he thinks other males are close by.

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They start to get to know each other. It's an old-fashioned,

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slow-motion waltz.

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Such beautiful movement is rarely seen.

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Dance in the animal world is little understood.

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But their courting ballet is about to be cut short.

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Rival males have detected that something is going on.

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They arrive in force, a mob on the dance floor, set on disruption.

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Each male tries to get beside the female

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and to intimidate the others.

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The 35-tonne males are set on a fight.

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Animals that can seem so tender in a moment become so aggressive.

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The mating game has become a battle.

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They smash into one another. They tail-slap and bellow.

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Most of this is just show, throwing their weight around.

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It's over. The biggest male has won.

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She will accept the outcome,

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the male who's most likely to father the strongest offspring.

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In the end, it was fighting that proved a better test than

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singing or dancing.

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Competition is a big part of the mating game and, inevitably,

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it can lead to physical aggression.

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BELLOWS

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Full of testosterone and laden with weaponry,

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males push each other to the limit.

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Size and strength are the ultimate test of virility,

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but fighting is a dangerous, even life-threatening, strategy.

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So, animals will go to great lengths to avoid a fight if they can.

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American bison graze peacefully together for much of the year.

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But when the mating season arrives, the atmosphere changes.

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The males begin to taste the air to pick up the scent of any female

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who might be ready to mate.

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Before a fight, competing males walk in parallel,

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assessing one another.

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Pumped up with testosterone,

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they paw the ground to show off their strength.

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They spray the earth with their urine and then roll in it

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so that they reek of their own hormones.

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These ritual displays can put off rival males without having to

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resort to a potentially dangerous fight.

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But it doesn't always work.

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Even then, most fights are resolved in a matter of seconds.

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A few, however, escalate into full-scale battle.

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Weighing almost a tonne, they use power and speed to try

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and push each other off their feet.

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This male is lucky to escape a fatal stabbing.

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For the winner, the prize is a whole harem of females.

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But, sometimes, the way to win is not to fight for females

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but to fight for something the females want.

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On the other side of the world, an idyllic English riverside is

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the setting for one such story.

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Here, there is a creature that flirts with suicide

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to woo his paramour with the perfect gift.

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The delicate Banded Demoiselle knows that what every girl wants

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is fast-flowing water, rich in life-giving oxygen,

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as the best place to lay her eggs.

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Each male, in his shining, metallic armour, is prepared to

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fight for the best patch in a graceful, aerial competition.

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The victor has won a patch where the river riffles round a fallen branch,

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faster-running water that is just what the ladies are looking for.

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But how can he prove that this is a good spot?

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He flings himself at the water, using his own body to show the flow.

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It's a high-risk strategy.

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He might drown or be snatched by a hungry fish.

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If she's satisfied, she'll accept him.

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All his hard work has paid off.

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She gives their eggs the best possible start in life,

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laid on plants in oxygen-rich water.

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A true romantic hero who has risked his life,

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and all because the lady loves the perfect place to lay her eggs.

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So, some males fight for females, whilst others,

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like the Demoiselle, fight for something the females want.

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And there are just a few animals where males fight for a prize

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that seems almost arbitrary.

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Topi, an African antelope, gather each year for a very unusual

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and highly ritualised contest.

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The males start by putting on war paint.

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By plastering their horns with mud, they're trying to be more

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intimidating to other males, and maybe more attractive to females.

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The dirtier, the better.

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The males compete in a loose circle called a lek.

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Each fights for a patch of land as close as possible

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to the centre of the arena.

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There's nothing particularly special about the middle, but in the

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ritual of the topi's mating game, it's become symbolically important.

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They fight for the centre because, well, because it's the centre.

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Eventually, each male has won his patch,

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and the females are more likely to choose a partner who is

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closer to the heart of the arena.

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The mating rituals go on for many days.

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The males dare not leave their territories

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in case rivals should claim them.

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And they have to fight repeatedly to retain their position.

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As the days pass, they become ever more exhausted.

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There is a real, physical cost to this competition.

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Hyenas are quick to take advantage of the weak and exhausted topi.

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Yet, in spite of the circling hyenas,

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the male topi will stay close to their places on the lek.

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To flee would mean losing any chance in the mating game.

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It's a risky game to play.

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Some males choose a rather different strategy.

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In the dry forests of Madagascar are some that have chosen to be

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lovers, not fighters.

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Ring-tailed lemurs live in troops of around a dozen individuals

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in which the females rule the roost.

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This morning, the ladies can choose from a line-up of hopeful males.

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Welcome to the lemur lounge bar.

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The boys are on parade, hoping to be the chosen one.

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They are sizing each other up, this particular morning, with excitement.

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One of the females is on heat. It's her choice and she's unpredictable.

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A chance for fatherhood is up for grabs. Fights quickly break out.

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The object of their affection just sits and waits.

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Whilst the squabbles continue,

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one sneaky young male sees an opportunity to make his move.

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He hopes to win her heart by more subtle means.

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With an air of nonchalance, he settles down

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and begins to smear scent onto his tail from glands on his wrists.

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The perfume he wafts over her will tell her a lot about what

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he has to offer as a potential partner.

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And he just might offer something that the other males don't.

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He may not be the strongest fighter,

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but very latest science suggests that his scent might contain

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clues to a different strength, his ability to fight illness

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and parasites which he could pass on to her offspring.

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She's still not convinced.

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Maybe she should wait for the outcome of the fight.

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The battle continues, unresolved.

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So, she leads him off to somewhere quieter.

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His sneaky seduction has finally won her over

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and they head off for some undercover love.

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Whether by fighting or by sneakier means,

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it's often males who seem to do the hard work in the mating game.

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But it's not always as one-sided as you might think.

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These mountain gorillas are headed up by a dominant male,

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the silverback.

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He's head of a family of females and youngsters.

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It will have taken him many years to win this prestigious position.

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GORILLAS HOOT AND SCREAM

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There is a young female who's recently joined his group.

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She wants the silverback to father her children.

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She's just come into season and she has only a couple of days

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when she's fertile.

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There's no time to waste

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but she's going to have to work hard to get his attention.

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She stares at him, a brazenly flirtatious act in itself.

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She tightens her lips into a smile and gazes straight into his eyes.

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This is gorilla seduction at its least subtle.

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But he doesn't seem to be won over by her shameless tactics.

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The whole family watch to see what happens next.

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The young female decides to try a different tactic.

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There are two teenagers, black-backed, immature males,

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and she flirts with them.

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She positions herself between the two rival boys.

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Both are interested in her.

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She's a tease.

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As she joins one, the other watches, grunting in jealous fury.

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She solicits both males but doesn't actually mate with either.

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She only has eyes on the big prize and, sure enough,

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the silverback hears and comes charging in.

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With a little subterfuge, she gets her man.

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The silverback will offer more than just good genes to her offspring.

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Any children that are his will get his protection

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as part of the family.

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Perhaps best to make absolutely sure.

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It's all for this, a helpless mountain gorilla baby,

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one of only a few hundred left.

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The family bonds in mountain gorillas are strong.

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The silverback's role as father goes beyond protection.

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He's babysitter, punch ball and role model, too.

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When both parents stick around to protect

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and rear the offspring, the mating game becomes more complex.

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It's no longer just about strong and healthy genes

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but about choosing a partner who will help to raise the youngsters.

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And that can seem like finding one in a million.

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The party here, on Lake Bogoria in Tanzania, is perhaps

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the greatest gathering of courting couples in the animal world.

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Thousands of flamingos dance together,

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all looking for Mr or Mrs Right.

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Eye colour and feathers are important. The brighter, the better.

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Once you've caught someone's eye, it's about choosing a partner

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who will be loyal, who will stick around.

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Flamingos seem to prefer birds similar to themselves.

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But the dance may reveal much deeper insights into each other.

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Many animals find symmetry attractive,

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and the mirrored movements

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and co-ordinated head turns may help find a mate that is more compatible.

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It's vital to make the right choice.

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Flamingos nest in the middle of soda lakes.

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These are swamps of caustic mud.

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It's one of the hottest places on Earth.

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It's a trek to the nearest food and fresh water,

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and you can't leave the nest in the sun.

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That means raising the chick is impossible for a single parent.

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Working together is crucial.

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It gets up to 50 degrees Celsius out here.

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This is parenting at its toughest,

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so, the choice of partner made in the dance needs to be right.

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After a short time, the chicks form a creche,

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safety in numbers as they learn to stand on their own two feet.

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And, eventually, they set off to find fresh water.

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Their parents abandon them, though they're still only chicks.

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They have to find their own way

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out of the hellhole in which they were born.

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They have no family to help them now, only each other.

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But there are animals where the family is a far more

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permanent institution.

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Here, the mating game needs teamwork to win.

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HOWLING

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February in Yellowstone, bitterly cold and food is scarce.

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Alone, a wolf would struggle to hunt.

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Their prey, elk, are many times a wolf's size,

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so, to survive out here, the wolves work as a family team.

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Offspring stay with their parents for many months,

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learning how to survive and to help raise the next litter.

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The alpha couple need their help.

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Winter is mating season and they need to be fit and healthy.

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The male is dark, the pack mother grey.

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They defend the group and lead the hunts.

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BUGLING

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The pack spreads out to head off the elk.

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Hunting strategy is passed down, learned

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and refined within families and generations.

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The father leads one team. The mother intercepts a panicking elk.

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BUGLES

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They all share the spoils.

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But all is not quite as collaborative as it seems.

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This pack strategy works well for the alpha couple but not quite

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so well for last year's offspring.

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The youngsters could have their own pups, but for the alpha couple,

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that would mean more mouths to feed and less for their litter.

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So, the alpha couple

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will actively discourage last year's offspring from mating.

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But one of their daughters has other ideas.

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Skulking behind the pack is a lone male wolf.

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He has no territory of his own but follows the family,

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scavenging leftovers and looking for opportunities.

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He's spotted one, the young daughter.

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The intruder could be in with a chance, as long as he's not caught.

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The pack leader could kill him.

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HOWLS

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While the pack is distracted by a bison,

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the temptation for the young female is too great,

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and she sneaks away to join the mysterious stranger.

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It's risky but it could be her only chance to get close

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to a potential mate.

0:43:230:43:24

When mating, wolves lock together,

0:43:560:44:00

unable to separate for half an hour to ensure fertilisation.

0:44:000:44:04

Not so good if you're about to be caught by your dad.

0:44:050:44:09

The affair was always destined to be a short one.

0:44:090:44:12

After a painful separation,

0:44:450:44:47

her new mate is chased away with his tail between his legs.

0:44:470:44:51

The wayward daughter is chastised for her behaviour.

0:45:050:45:08

Eventually, though, she'll be accepted back into the family.

0:45:100:45:13

Having her own pups would be the best way for her to pass

0:45:160:45:19

on her genes but it might threaten the success of the alpha couple.

0:45:190:45:23

There's a tension between them.

0:45:230:45:25

And the more we learn about how animals behave,

0:45:350:45:38

the more it seems that behind the facade of seemingly perfect

0:45:380:45:42

animal partnerships lurk darker secrets,

0:45:420:45:46

the truth of which are only now coming to light.

0:45:460:45:49

Lar gibbons in the forests of Thailand.

0:46:220:46:25

They seem to be the perfect couple, musical and monogamous.

0:46:270:46:31

WHOOPING AND SINGING

0:46:340:46:42

Their duet is a renewal of their partnership

0:46:460:46:49

and proclaims their home territory.

0:46:490:46:51

They stay together to raise a family.

0:46:510:46:54

But appearances can be deceptive.

0:47:050:47:07

They're surrounded on all sides by neighbours,

0:47:090:47:12

and gibbons can sometimes stray.

0:47:120:47:15

It turns out that as many as one in ten matings

0:47:150:47:18

may not be with their partner.

0:47:180:47:20

Some scientists think there may be a reason for a female's infidelity.

0:47:210:47:26

A quick liaison may serve to convince other neighbouring

0:47:260:47:29

males that they could be the father of her offspring,

0:47:290:47:33

and this might stop them attacking the youngsters.

0:47:330:47:36

Maybe a little infidelity actually helps protect the family.

0:47:390:47:44

Whatever the reason for straying,

0:47:530:47:55

their affairs don't seem to be a problem for their partnership.

0:47:550:47:59

They'll remain together.

0:47:590:48:00

And this is not the only example of a flexible relationship that

0:48:120:48:17

can be more advantageous to animals than a purely monogamous one.

0:48:170:48:21

The dry forests of western Madagascar are a harsh place

0:48:230:48:27

to bring up a family.

0:48:270:48:28

But there is one bird who's come up with a cunning plan.

0:48:280:48:32

This is the vasa parrot.

0:48:340:48:37

She has a tree hole full of chicks,

0:48:370:48:39

but food is scarce and she can't feed them all by herself.

0:48:390:48:43

From a high perch, she issues a summons across the forest.

0:48:510:48:56

BIRDCALL

0:48:560:49:01

She's not the prettiest-looking bird.

0:49:060:49:09

During breeding, her sleek, black feathers fell out

0:49:090:49:12

and her skin underneath is orange.

0:49:120:49:14

But her trashy appearance doesn't deter suitors.

0:49:140:49:17

A male answers her call.

0:49:210:49:23

They've been courting for many weeks and mated regularly.

0:49:230:49:28

They greet with a head-swaying dance that seems to say

0:49:280:49:31

"you are the only one for me".

0:49:310:49:34

Then he passes food to her.

0:49:540:49:57

Suddenly, he leaves and another male turns up.

0:50:020:50:06

And another male.

0:50:180:50:20

She has mated with them all and she accepts his offerings, too.

0:50:200:50:24

In fact, she may have up to six males on the go at once.

0:50:250:50:29

They all feed her.

0:50:290:50:31

Each male may believe that he is the father to her chicks.

0:50:320:50:36

With a graceful tete-a-tete,

0:50:360:50:38

she seems to reassure each of them that he is the special one.

0:50:380:50:42

Then it's back to the nest with all the food.

0:50:580:51:01

Her clutch is of mixed parentage.

0:51:010:51:04

Perhaps here, three of the males out of the six are genuine fathers,

0:51:060:51:11

and the other three duped.

0:51:110:51:14

In this game, she is the real winner with several doting fathers

0:51:140:51:18

to help feed her children.

0:51:180:51:20

A cunning ploy.

0:51:200:51:22

So, does everyone cheat at the mating game? Well, maybe not.

0:51:250:51:31

True monogamy, animals that stay together for ever

0:51:310:51:34

and remain faithful, is certainly very rare.

0:51:340:51:37

But there may be a few perfect partnerships.

0:51:390:51:42

One may be found in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

0:51:420:51:46

These are Kagu,

0:51:480:51:49

flightless birds that stay together as a couple for life.

0:51:490:51:53

Both parents work together to look after one chick.

0:52:040:52:08

This is the dad, pitting his wits against a worm.

0:52:080:52:11

Spot the chick.

0:52:280:52:30

The camouflage is effective.

0:52:340:52:36

Less effective is getting the food in.

0:52:380:52:40

Feeding babies can take a lot of patience.

0:52:580:53:01

Some of the young from previous years stay in the territory

0:53:040:53:07

and help defend any chicks from predators or neighbouring Kagu.

0:53:070:53:12

Several birds all help guard one chick.

0:53:120:53:15

SQUAWKING AND SINGING

0:53:150:53:20

Each morning, they sing together.

0:53:200:53:22

They work as a team and chase away any intruders.

0:53:230:53:27

SQUAWKING AND SINGING

0:53:270:53:31

The Kagu's relationship is solid and the bonds of commitment

0:53:310:53:35

are passed down to the offspring, forming a strong family unit.

0:53:350:53:39

But the Kagus also seem to be quite the romantics.

0:53:410:53:44

Each year, the male rekindles the flame with this lifelong mate.

0:53:510:53:55

She's seen it all before but it's still important to remind her.

0:54:030:54:07

After all, no-one likes to be taken for granted.

0:54:140:54:17

They may be committed for life

0:54:230:54:25

but it seems he still wants her to know

0:54:250:54:27

that she's the only one for him.

0:54:270:54:29

Throughout the animal kingdom, the mating game is

0:54:400:54:43

full of extraordinary behaviour and surprising sophistication.

0:54:430:54:47

Even fighting isn't simple but overlaid with ritual and sacrifice.

0:55:020:55:07

For some animals, it's all about playing the field.

0:55:100:55:13

Others may be searching for more commitment in a partner,

0:55:180:55:21

one who will stick around.

0:55:210:55:22

Some are carefully chosen for a brief liaison.

0:55:250:55:28

Others form bonds that can last a lifetime.

0:55:410:55:45

And there are a few that remain truly faithful.

0:55:480:55:52

But is it all just a game or is there ever something more?

0:55:540:56:00

Do these bonds ever go beyond physical need?

0:56:000:56:03

In the heart of Australia is a rather unlikely

0:56:110:56:15

candidate for ultimate animal romantic.

0:56:150:56:18

This is a shingleback, a skink,

0:56:250:56:29

known here in Australia as the sleepy lizard.

0:56:290:56:33

A female catches the eye of a male.

0:56:350:56:38

He courts her by gently nudging her and licking her.

0:56:380:56:42

They will stay together for two months

0:57:030:57:06

and then they'll separate for the rest of the year.

0:57:060:57:09

But despite this time apart, the couple's bond remains strong.

0:57:100:57:16

The following year, they will somehow

0:57:160:57:18

manage to find each other in order to mate once more.

0:57:180:57:21

As far as we know, they remain faithful for the rest

0:57:210:57:25

of their lives, sometimes for more than 20 years.

0:57:250:57:29

Even when one of them dies, they're reluctant to move on.

0:57:290:57:32

Shinglebacks are slow and vulnerable.

0:57:340:57:36

If one half of a pair gets run over,

0:57:370:57:40

the other has been seen waiting by its side for days.

0:57:400:57:44

It seems the bond between them endures, even after death.

0:57:460:57:49

Surely, this is more than just a mating game?

0:57:510:57:55

Certainly, there's much more about animal relationships

0:57:550:57:59

that still waits to be discovered.

0:57:590:58:01

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