But most of the creatures come together for a very different reason to breed the Giant Cuttlefish, the largest of all cuttlefish. They live for just one or two years Now, as the Australian summer draws to an end. They have one last act to complete to find a mate. But there are over 100,000 males competing for the arriving females in this one bay. Among them, a giant. A true Goliath. He probably weighs about ten kilos. Bands of color sweep across his skin. That’s how cuttlefish communicate This smaller male Couldn’t possibly take him on. Beside Goliath and under his protection, a female who has just mated with him. But other rivals are still interested. It seems a small male wouldn’t stand a chance. The female, he’s now displaying a white stripe along her side. Nearest Goliath. It’s a clear signal that she no longer wants to meet with him. It’s all the encouragement that the little male needs. He’s going to have to use trickery to. He turns down his colors and tucks in his arms. It’s just the right size to mimic a female. Goliath is deceived. The small male now displays a white stripe, just like the real female, to deter his advances. He slips beside her and they mate by mating with multiple partners. The female ensures the greatest genetic diversity for her young. The sneaky male leaves this final act to complete it. So even among giant cuttlefish, it seems it’s not all about size. Penguins looking for a partner set themselves apart and start to display this male doesn’t have to wait for long. He’s unlucky this time, but he’s spoiled for choice. There are 3000 possible partners. Her waddle walk shows she’s keen. They mirror each other’s actions to confirm that they’re now a couple. But their blossoming romance soon sparks jealousies. A second female tries to muscle in. She pecks at her rival, but the male’s having none of it. The girls fight it out. It’s Flippers at dawn. She shoves her challenger to the ground. But it’s not over yet. Her mate cheers her on. This time she’s clinched it. She slapped her way to victory. There are six different species of Flamingo, and I’ve come to Slim Bridge Wetland Center in the UK to find out more about the greater Flamingo in their efforts to attract a mate. They do something no other flamingo species does. Flirting for these flamboyant birds is all about producing your best moves and looking fabulous while you’re doing them. Paul Rose from Exeter University has spent the last three years studying how these birds pick their partners. Everything about them is about doing stuff with your friends. And I’ve often thought it’s a bit like a primary school disco and that there are some kids that really want to kind of go on the dance floor and, you know, they would want to get their boogie on like maybe I’m not sure. And eventually it kind of spreads and everyone’s like, Oh, we can do this as well. And then off they’ll go and we’ll do that dance together. But you don’t often get flamingos where one is just kind of shuffling and the males going, Woohoo, I’m really beautiful. You have to have every single bird doing it at the same time. Of course, there’s always that awkward moment when someone has to make the first move. Fortunately, experience steps in to lend a hand. Typically, it’s the oldest, tallest males in the flock who are first to grace the dance floor. The first display that you’re likely to see something called head plugging. So the birds stand very tall, extends its head and its neck, and it kind of moves its head from side to side. And that’s normally started by the tallest males in the flock. Not to say that the females don’t get involved. They’re not like a peacock where you have the boys displaying the females go, maybe, you know, I’m not sure they all do it at the same time. But putting yourself out there doesn’t always go according to plan. Timing is everything. So I do feel sorry for them sometimes when they want to do the head plugging. And look really tall and beautiful and everyone else is on one leg fast asleep overly eager youngsters are the ones who get it wrong. Most often being ignored by the rest of the flock is never a good look. Sticking your neck out is only the start. Scientists have discovered that flamingos have nine signature moves designed to show off their best assets. Another display that normally follows the head plugging, which is called wing saluting. It’s to basically give a certain shock against their uniform, their pale body color. Ooh. What are they all doing? This whole. Let’s all run. Let’s go and try and see if we can get everybody together. Doing the same thing at the same time. Very complicated business. You know, they don’t do anything by heart. To see African wild dogs in the flesh is a real privilege. It’s thought there may only be 3000 left in the wild, making them one of the most endangered mammals in Africa. Aladdin, the alpha male, wears the radio colar. It really is quite fascinating to watch the alpha pair always together. Always together. The man is constantly tailing behind her wherever she goes. Aladdin and Feather have only been together for four months, but they’re already off to a flying start. Feather is visibly pregnant, but even though he’s now done the job, she is pregnant with his pups. He doesn’t leave her side for one minute. It’s unusual for an alpha male to be so attentive at this stage. Aladdin seems to be a particularly devoted partner. Taryn has been monitoring Feather and Aladdin’s progress from the start. So tell me a little bit about how Aladdin and Feather behave with each other as the alpha pair. We’ve often seen him with his chin resting on her rear end and just following her around. And he’s been observed sleeping with his paw on her at night. It’s typical. It’s what we call mate guarding behavior. He’s looking after her. He’s making sure that she’s that she’s fed and healthy. Once she’s pregnant, he continues to follow her, even though he’s already done his job and fathered her litter. And I think that’s his way of ensuring that his little of pups survives and is healthy. Aladdin and Feather look like a solid couple, and that’s good news for everyone else in the group because as the alpha pair, it’s their job to provide the pack with new pups. So is that it? Are they completely established and their roles are determined and everything’s hunky dory with the whole pack? Well, so far, so good. The key will be how successful they are at raising that lesser of pups as a pack. And the success of a pack always depends on on the on their reproductive success. So how well they work together to successfully rear their young. So they’re not home free? Not at all. So whenever you get a new alpha pair, it doesn’t mean anything until they’ve successfully reared their first late first litter. Oh, gosh. No pressure. Yes. Fortunately for Aladdin and Feather, the rest of the group will be there to lend a helping hand. The other adult females are feather sisters, and the males come from different packs that come to rest behind us. It’s one big happy family where everyone pitches in Feather’s older Sister Batty is the lead hunter. By sharing the workload, the pack runs like a well-oiled machine. So we’ve gone and we’ve gone in and hit the other to get into the pretty. Well, most of the time. So you’ve got wildebeest chasing the wild dogs. What’s wrong with that picture? When Aladdin and Feathers pups are born, everyone will help to feed and protect them here. Bigger families do better. In Papua New Guinea. he bowerbird has lovingly rebuilt and redecorated his bower. Another visitor. This time it’s a female. This is just where he wants her time to begin the show. First he expands his pupils alternately. It’s an oddly mesmerizing display. A sport of limbering up, accompanied by a weird and wheezy call from deep in his throat. Now it’s time for his grand performance. He waves his wings like a matadors cape. She appears to be transfixed. This is certainly eye catching, but it seems he needs to do more. Generously, she drops him a hint of it’s the bird equivalent of a bouquet of flowers. It’s all going so well. It’s time to get physical. With a few headbutts to her chest. One final flourish to cap weeks of effort. But something’s wrong. His rival is back. And at the worst possible moment. What should he do for the female The moment has gone. Sometimes whatever you do, things just don’t work out. To the southeast of the Bahamas, there’s another. A chain of islands marking the far eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea. At their outer limit, jutting into the Atlantic lies Barbuda. Like the Bahamas, Barbuda is flat and famous for its endless Sandy shores. But step back from the beach and there’s another very different world a vast, shallow lagoon dotted with mangrove trees. Remote, secluded and a stone’s throw from rich Atlantic fishing grounds. It attracts one of the world’s most charismatic birds. At around 4000 pairs, this is the Caribbean’s largest colony of magnificent frigate birds. Each year from August to October, males fly in from other corners of the Caribbean to breed. Once a male arrives, he’s got his work cut out to find a mate. First, he inflates a pouch to try to stand out from the crowd. He has to jostle for a good nest site high in the mangroves, then fight off rival males to keep it. All this aggression can be seriously deflating once he’s seen off the competition. He still has to lure a mate. He drums up interest from a browsing female and she comes in for a closer look. It’s hard to say exactly what a female makes for an apartment, but a good nest site is crucial, and this one isn’t up to scratch. Plenty more birds in the sky. The females look for a location with clear access where the wind can lift them on and off the nest. And this one seems ideal. But before the pair can raise a family, they have to build a nest. And for that, they need plenty of the frigates. Most valuable currency sticks loose Sticks can be hard to find and easy to lose. The male is ambushed by his fellow frigates. The true Pirates of the Caribbean. These high speed aerial acrobats are experts at mid-air theft. The male needs all his flying skills to hang onto his stick so he can build a nest. The males entire harem is now at stake. One bachelor makes his move. The female spits her disapproval onto the male, leaps into action using razor sharp teeth. He aims for his challenges. Testicles, an emasculating bite. Necks are protected by specially thickened skin. These fights have no rules. The battles are exhausting. The challenger is driven off his masculinity intact. The male enjoys the rewards whilst he can. This is the Tiger love song. Male Tiger’s roar to call to females and females roar to announce that they are ready to mate and He has wandered into Bagani’s territory. He must know she’s close by Acting this laid back tells Bagani he’s not a threat. She seems impressed. This is the first time in seven months I’ve seen them together. A quick peck on the cheek from Bagani. But he still plays hard to get. After all, this is a first date. Rajo and Bagani stayed together for three days and showing Bongani around is an important part of Rajo’s courting technique. This is his favorite waterhole and a dip in the pool is guaranteed to impress. Followed by a romantic walk in the park, Tigers form a close bond for the few days they are together. It’s not just about sex. I think tigers get lonely I can only hope that this might be the moment when the new dynasty begins. Spider silk with the scent of a female. He just needs to follow it wherever it leads him. Other males have gone on the same quest and have come to a grisly end. Here is the female and she doesn’t look very amorous. In fact, she kills every male who doesn’t match up to her expectations. What can he do to win over dance. Dance for his life. He will need a showstopping trick to avoid becoming lunch with his fan unfurled. He begins an ever more complicated series of dance moves to try and seduce her. At last, she succumbs to his advances and allows him to mate with her. He matched her expectations, but she kills him anyway. With nightfall, the competition in the jungle intensifies as many of Bonia’s 180 species of frog now burst into song, all singing for a mate. The bigger the frog, the louder the call But this male tree frog is barely bigger than a fingernail. He’ll need to do something special if he wants to be heard by a nearby female. She may only be meters away, but the chorus from the other frogs is deafening. This tiny male, however, has a trick when he searches for a tree. The size and shape of the hole are critical. He then does something remarkable. It begins with a sound check. Too low. He changes pitch too high. That’s it. At this specific frequency, the tree hole resonates, amplifying the sound and broadcasting the call. More than 50 meters across the forest. For a female, it’s music to her ears and with superb directional hearing, she can home in on his calls Finally, the tiny couple meet. Hidden from predators. The tree will go on to make an ideal nursery for their tadpoles.
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