mating rituals
Precopulatory behavioral patterns
Mating rituals are the behaviors animals perform to attract partners and reproduce—displays, dances, calls, or gifts that signal fitness to potential mates.
Peacocks spread their tails, fireflies flash patterns, birds sing elaborate songs.
Applied to humans, the term is usually humorous or clinical, describing the awkward performances of courtship: I watched the mating rituals at the singles bar with amusement.
- pheromonesSpecies-specific chemical messengers
- bowerLeafy garden shelter
- pair bondingEnduring mate attachment
- territorialityDefense of claimed space
- bioluminescenceOrganism-generated light emission
vocalizations · bird of paradise · gift-giving · polygyny · grooming · fireflies · reproductive success · monogamy · sexual selection · bowing · courtship dance · love dance · nest building · plumage · showing off · drumming · rutting season · parental care
- nature triviaanimal behavior, animal sounds, defense mechanisms, hibernation, migration patterns
- animal behaviorsswimming, running, walking, jumping, flying
- Nature ShowsPlanet Earth, Blue Planet, Frozen Planet, Our Planet, nature show
- insect behaviorsforaging, mating, flight, flying, crawling
- sexual customssexual norms, sexual taboos, marriage customs, courtship, virginity
- mating traitssexual selection, courtship, plumage, antlers, ornamentation
mating ritualscelibacy
Abstaining from intimate relations
abstinence · mate guarding · territorial defense · infanticide · asexual reproduction
mating ritualscopulation
Sexual joining of bodies
sexual intercourse · mating · coitus · mounting · casual sex
mating ritualssocial isolation
Lack of human contact
isolation · social withdrawal · death rituals · hermit lifestyle · feeding behavior