Ingrid Newkirk
Other species might not haggle for an exclusive dinner reservation or be suckered in by ubiquitous jewelry commercials, but they certainly make their sweethearts feel special.
The besotted who search for the perfect ring for a Valentine’s Day proposal have nothing on Adélie penguins. Surviving on the unforgiving Antarctic ice sheet requires considerable skill and resourcefulness. A male Adélie will comb the treacherous terrain, looking for hard-to-find pebbles, and use them to create a small nest to demonstrate his merit as a partner and dad. If the object of his affection is impressed, they graciously bow to each other, and so begins a relationship that often lasts for the rest of their lives.
Male masked boobies — large tropical seabirds — also offer their love interests gifts of pebbles, coral, sticks and vegetation, which the couple then uses to adorn their nest. But smitten fellows may even take it a step further and pull out their own handsome feathers as an offering.
Japanese pufferfish don’t have the option to spend a romantic evening strolling through an art gallery, but they don’t need one. Males create extraordinary pieces of artwork right on the sea floor. Puffers vigorously flap their fins to carve intricate circular patterns into the sand. It takes about 10 days of labor for the five-inch fish to construct his masterpiece, which can measure 7 feet in diameter. After decorating the edges with shells and pieces of coral, he waits patiently for a female to happen by so he can show off his Mona Lisa.
Going dancing Friday night? No matter what the chardonnay tries to tell you, albatrosses are probably better dancers than you are. Despite the fact that they spend 95 percent of their lives in the air, the elegant birds select their mates by performing intricate dances that may include up to 25 different moves. Over the course of consecutive breeding seasons, young adults fill their dance cards with numerous Freds and Gingers until they finally choose “the one.” All that time and choreography is worth it: Albatross couples can enjoy more than 50 years of wedded bliss.
Maybe you two prefer to skip the dramatics and have a cozy night in. Black vultures get it: These permanent pairs demonstrate their love simply by spending as much time together as possible. Prairie voles do too. The humble rodents are such adoring partners that one relationship guide bears the title Make Love Like a Prairie Vole. Spouses strengthen their deep and lasting bonds by showering one another with affection and working together on everything, including caring for their families.
And you might not be inviting the in-laws over for wine and a Valentine’s Day rom-com, but for wolves and coyotes, family is everything. Couples remain loyal to one another and to their close-knit pack of relatives, and everyone pitches in. A study on coyote fidelity found that they take “‘til death do us part” seriously. Even when given ample opportunity, the canids never stray from their partners and remain faithful in good times and bad.
Remarkable examples of great love and devotion exist all throughout the animal kingdom. And, unlike humans, these inspiring paramours ask for very little — except to live their lives in peace.
Ingrid Newkirk is the co-author of Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion and the president of PETA, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.
