How Much Do You Know About Animal Mating Rituals?

By: Heather Cahill
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much Do You Know About Animal Mating Rituals?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Some animals have normal mating rituals while others are a bit more... interesting! Think you know the mating rituals of the animal kingdom? Take the quiz to find out!
What does the bowerbird do to impress a potential mate?
It rapidly flaps its wings.
It brings its mate a gift.
It changes colors.
It decorates a bower.
A male bowerbird obsessively decorates its bower in order to attract a mate. The bird picks shiny and colorful objects to decorate with.

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Which animal risks death if they do not mate?
A shark.
A praying mantis.
A red rock crab.
A ferret.
Female ferrets can die if they do not mate. If a female ferret is in captivity, she can be spayed, which will save her life, or she can receive shots to rid her of the extra estrogen.

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Which animal brings a potential mate a rock as a gift?
Peacock.
Porcupine.
Anglerfish.
Adelie penguins.
The male Adelie penguin will bring a rock to a potential mate as a gift. If the female likes the rock that the male presents to her, she will mate with him.

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Which animal defecates to attract a potential mate?
Hippopotamus.
A male hippo defecates in order to attract a potential mate. For some reason, the females find this quality attractive!
Giraffe.
Galapagos turtle.
Emperor penguins.

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Which animal gathers in enormous groups in order to mate?
Red-sided garter snake.
The red-sided garter snake gathers in large groups to mate. The snakes can be found mating in groups of up to 30,000.
Sloth.
Bowerbird.
Ostrich.

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Which animal engages in the equivalent of a human kiss before mating?
Gorillas.
Tasmanian devils.
White-fronted parrots.
White-fronted parrots engage in the human equivalent of kissing before mating. The male bird also uses vomit to impress the female.
Camels.

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Which animal shows off for females by using a giant balloon?
Hooded seals.
Hooded seals use a large balloon that they blow up from their nostrils to impress females. The seals throw their balloons around to show the females how manly they are.
Clownfish.
Birds of paradise.
Blue manakins.

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Which animal gives a female one of his arms?
An octopus.
The octopus is the animal which gives a female one of his arms. When she takes the arm, she keeps it until her eggs are ready to be laid; the arm of the male octopus contains the sperm necessary for fertilization.
A slug.
A dragonfly.
A bear.

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Which animal urges the female to urinate?
A giraffe.
A male giraffe will urge the female giraffe to urinate. After, he follows her until she decides that she should mate with him.
A wolf.
A hummingbird.
A ferret.

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Which animal can mate up to 36 times a day during their mating season?
A snow leopard.
A snow leopard can mate up to 36 times per day. The female struts with her tail up in front of the male. The two mate with each other for the duration of the season.
A gorilla.
A slug.
A bird of paradise.

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Which animals sing to each other before deciding to mate?
Owls.
Sloths.
Emperor penguins.
Emperor penguins sing to each other before mating. The Penguins also only have one partner each season, never straying from one another.
Snow leopards.

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What does the puffer fish do to attract a potential mate?
It makes calls to them.
It does art in the sand.
The male puffer fish does art in the sand to attract a female. If the female puffer fish likes the art that he created, she will mate with him.
It brings them food.
It swims in circles.

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Where do Charcoal beetles mate?
At the beach.
Underground.
Near forest fires.
Charcoal beetles mate near forest fires. They seek out the flames, mate and lay their eggs near them. They thrive on the dead trees left from the blaze.
In the air.

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What does a male porcupine do before mating with a female?
He urinates on her.
A porcupine urinates on its potential mate. Due to the danger of mating with a female when she doesn't want to, a male has to make sure that she is a willing participant before he makes any moves.
He digs holes into the ground.
He touches her nose.
He calls her.

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Which sea animal can change genders?
A praying mantis.
A gray whale.
A bowerbird.
A clownfish.
A clownfish can change genders. The genders of the fish are determined based on size, with the largest being the female, and the second largest being the male.

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Which animal is a hermaphrodite?
Sea slugs.
Sea slugs are hermaphrodites. The slugs have both male and female reproductive organs, and they can be fertilized on any part of their body!
Bears.
Bald eagles.
Sharks.

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What will the female praying mantis do if she doesn't like her mate?
Bite his head off.
The female praying mantis will bite her suitors' head off if she doesn't like him. The males must be careful about who they pick because it could mean their last day on earth.
She runs away.
Play dead.
Nothing.

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What part of the body does a peacock use to attract a mate?
Their beak.
Their wings.
Their feet.
Their tail.
Male peacocks use their tails to attract females. They do this to show off their beautiful colors. They also dance to attract females.

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Which animal spirals downwards from up above while holding onto each other?
Elephants.
Bald eagles.
Bald eagles fly high up into the air, lock talons, and spiral all the way down to the ground. They separate just before hitting the ground.
Red rock crabs.
Octopuses.

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What does the male painted turtle do to a potential mate?
He brings her food.
He fights with her.
He touches her neck.
The male painted turtle touches the neck of the female painted turtle. If she allows him to complete the caress and returns the favor, the two will mate.
He doesn't do anything to her.

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Which animal flaps its wings and rotates its head to impress a female?
Elephants.
Camels.
Ostriches.
A male ostrich flaps its wings and rotates its head to impress a female. If she likes what she sees, the two decide to mate with each other.
Emperor penguins.

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What does the male Bird of Paradise do to attract a female?
He builds a nest for her.
He swoops through the air.
He dances.
The male bird of paradise dances to impress the female. He also spreads out his colorful feathers to enhance his look as he puts on a show for the female.
He brings her a shell.

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What do male Galapagos turtles do to find a mate?
They fight other males.
Male Galapagos turtles fight each other to prove dominance and status. The winner will get to mate with a female, while the loser is out of luck.
They make loud calls.
They swim through the water alongside the females.
They choose a turtle that they know well.

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Which animal gets help from his friends to attract a female?
Blue manakins.
Male blue manakins get help from their friends to attract a female. Fellow blue manakins fly around the female and entice her to choose their friend as her mate.
Giraffes.
Wolverines.
Beavers.

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What animal will chew on each other before becoming mates?
Porcupines.
Gorillas.
Red rock crabs.
Bears.
Bears will chew on each other before becoming mates. Male bears may also fight with any other who tries to mate with their female.

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Which animal flies in a certain pattern to attract females?
A hummingbird.
A male hummingbird flies in unique patterns to attract a female. He also tries to show off his colors in the best way possible to entice females to chose him.
A painted turtle.
A bear.
A bald eagle.

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What does the male elephant do to a female to entice her to mate with him?
He showers her in water.
He rolls in mud.
He calls her.
He rests his trunk on her back.
The male rests his trunk on the female's back to entice her to mate with him. If she chooses him, they will then proceed to mate.

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Which animal bites the female before mating?
Buffalo.
Sloths.
Sharks.
Male sharks will bite the female sharks they pursue. They also spread chemicals through the water to attract females to mate with.
Peacocks.

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Which animal gurgles its own spit to attract females?
Camels.
Male camels gurgle their spit to attract females. Another element of attraction is that the males also blow up a balloon, like hooded seals.
Wolves.
Slugs.
Elephants.

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What does a male red rock crab do to a female crab to prove himself to her?
He marches around her.
He fights the other males.
He gathers a feast of food.
He embraces her.
The male red rock crab will embrace a female to prove his worth. The female will eventually accept the male and mate with him.

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Which animal allows younger males to practice their ritual with them?
Tasmanian devils.
Female Tasmanian devils will allow younger males to practice their ritual with them. They leave them after their practice is finished.
Bears.
Giraffes.
Clownfish.

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What animal is comprised of only females, but is still able to reproduce?
Swan.
Tiger.
Whiptail lizard.
The whiptail lizards are all females, but they are still able to reproduce. The lizards don't need males, so they mate with one another.
Gorilla.

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Which animal mates in groups of three?
Snow leopards.
White-fronted parrots.
Gray whales.
Gray whales mate in groups of three consisting of two males and one female. While the dominant male mates, the other male holds the female.
Whiptail lizards.

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Which animal screams to attract males?
Snakes.
Emperor Penguins.
Octopuses.
Sloths.
A female sloth screams to attract males. Their scream is meant to be heard from very far away, to have the males travel and find the female who made the sound.

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Which bird brings food for the female?
Owls.
Male owls bring food for females, and if the female chooses to accept it, the two would then begin to mate with each other.
Beavers.
Snow Leopards.
Charcoal Beetles.

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