Usually, animals are known for being wild creatures who follow their instincts and try to mate as much as possible in order to ensure the survival of their kind. But, some unique breeds prefer to stay loyal to one partner and actually mate for life. These animals truly set an example for what monogamy should look like, sometimes staying together without separating for decades. Here some of the cutest animals who mate for life:
It is unclear why and how wolves got the reputation for being loners. We all know that they run in packs but not many know that their packs are made out of small nuclear families. After wolves find their special someone they will remain with them until death do them part. After that, they will actually move on quickly – if one partner dies, they will most likely find a new significant other.
After spending their first two years living with their parents, beavers are ready to leave the nest, or, well the lodge to start searching for a partner. When they finally find one, they will stay with it forevermore, or, at least some beavers will. The European ones are monogamous while the ones who live in North America do sometimes stray and have fun with other beavers.
Dik Dik are a type of miniature antelopes. They are different than other antelopes in several ways. Most antelopes live in herds while Dik Diks pair up and live a monogamous lifestyle. They spend almost 70% of their time together, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are helplessly in love. Some believe the Dik Diks stay in pairs in order to protect themselves from predators, and that if given the chance they would cheat on their partners.
Today, we know that seahorses are not just unique looking, but they also have an unusual lifestyle compared to other animals. The men are the ones who carry babies and give birth to them. Before seahorses get to building a family, they flirt by twisting their tails together and dancing with each other. While seahorses have a short lifespan, they still mate for life, maybe because the female seahorses tend to get jealous. They compete with each other to get male-seahorse attention.
Geese take their marriage vows very seriously, especially the “in sickness and in health” part. If a goose gets unwell or hurt, its partner will stay with it, even if the flock moves on and flys south for winter. But, that’s not all, geese are known to grief their partners when they die. They will do so in solitude and will never partner again, remaining widows or widowers for the rest of their lives.
