HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
12 ADORABLE ANIMAL FACTS
Love is in the air today! Happy Valentine’s Day, we hope you received at least one heart-shaped chocolate or long-stemmed red rose. Unless of course. you’re not the romantic type, in which case, we recommend skipping this blog – we’re going to get a bit soppy.
We thought the best way to celebrate the day of love is to look to nature. Humans aren’t the only ‘lovebirds’ out there. Lots of animals put our romantic gestures to shame. So, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite romantic animal facts. Some of these little creatures are found here in Africa, and some aren’t, but either way, they’re adorable and sure to leave you with a happy heart.
1. When a male penguin falls in love with a female penguin (yes, they fall in love!), he will comb the beach in search of a perfectly smooth pebble to present to her as a proposal. If she accepts his proposal, she will place the stone in her nest.
2. Sea otters hold each other’s paws when they sleep so that they don’t drift apart. They also cuddle and nap together.
3. Seahorses have the same partner for life. Sometimes when swimming, they hold tails.
4. Dolphins have names for each other. They use a distinct whistle for each dolphin – when a dolphin hears its whistle (name), it responds.
5. Swans swim beak to beak, this rather aptly, results in their necks forming a heart shape. They also tend to stay with the same mate forever.
6. Black vulture males share their parenting duties equally.
7. Beavers spend as much time bonding with their life partners as they do building dams.
8. Puffins mate for life. They build their home on cliff sides, even setting aside a separate ‘room’ for their toilet.
9. Elephants have been known to die of a broken heart after the death of a mate, mother, child or friend. Elephants will bury and mourn their dead and revisit the burial site every year. And if you see elephants entwining their trunks, that’s their sign of affection.
10. If a cat blinks slowly and deliberately at you, don’t be alarmed, they aren’t plotting anything – it is actually their way of showing that they trust and love you. This sign of affection is known as the “cat’s kiss”.
11. French Angelfish mate for life and spend most of their time swimming side by side through their coral reef homes. However, if they are separated, the couples do a little ‘dance’ when reunited.
12. And to finish off our cute animals’ facts, this one may be short, but oh is it sweet… cows have best friends.
