Are there animals that mate for life?

Question

I think I've been watching to much of the robin hood series, but they said that if a 2 doves that are mates split up, they would do whatever it takes to find their other mate... is that how they sent letters in the old days? someone TELL ME!!

is that true? or is this just made up? or am i just dumb?

what other animals mate for life?

Answer 1

Not really, and it also depends on the animal species.  You see some animals have a very short life span.  Many insects live just long enough in the adult form to mate, if they mate with only one member of the opposite s*x, then they have mated for life.

Generally it is a myth.  Monogamy for the most part is a myth.  Humans rarely mate for life.  Those animals usually picked to form long pair bonds usually mate for the season.  The prime directive of wild animals is to survive and reproduce.  So if a mate dies or for some reason is not available, the other mate will find a mate.  No animal waits around to mate, they have to do within a certain time.

It is human nature to force human like traits and characteristics on animals: anthropomorphism.  You see it a lot on the so called Nature shows.  Remember, their objective is to make money.  Often time achieving that goal results in a lot of pretty or unusual pictures and then terrible narration and a misuse of science.

http://www.mofed.org/myth.htm

Answer 2

Doves do not mate for life. Pigeons and doves used for messaging were trained to associate one place with food and another with females. They would be fed in one place and then given a message and they then flew to the other place where the females were. They could then mate with the females of their choice while an answer to the message was written and then sent back to the feeding location. This was only practical when there were regular messages to be sent and failed when messages were infrequent. Usually two manors or forts would arrange the training and each fort or manor would arrange similar training with other forts or manors. Many townships began to use the method as well for regular messaging. These opportunities to send messages were often made available to the general populace as it reinforced their training.

No species is truly mongamous but many practice it from time to time.

Answer 3

Various birds are monogamous, meaning they stick to one sexual partner.  Swans and albatroses come to mind.  I'm not sure about doves.  It's rarer among mammals but happens; people and gibbons are examples.  Of course, this is a generalisation with exceptions.

<<... is that how they sent letters in the old days? someone TELL ME!!>>

I can't see the relevance of that question.

Answer 4

yes for any one who sed no some animals that mate for life are foxes, 28 parrots, albatroses, wolves and many others. contrary to wat some idiots believe cough *jim * cough some animals do have bonds and mate for life. they might not always stay together like leave for the season but they always come back together and mate again with exactly the same partner while others hang around each other for life.

Answer 5

Animals that mate for life are mostly avian. There are very few examples of mammal monogomy. ... of sea birds all mate for life.