12 jaw-dropping animal mating facts you won’t believe

Nature has given every living creature unique features to reproduce and give birth to their young ones. Animal mating habits can be surprisingly entertaining—equal parts bizarre, fascinating, and hilarious.But there are some animals in the animal kingdom that grab the attention of viewers towards it because of their jaw-droppingmating facts that are unbelievable!From alligators with never-ending erections to snails and slugs armed with Cupid-style, here are 12 unusual animal sex facts that set an example that the nature has a wild imagination.Penises in the animal kingdom vary greatly, but a common pattern is that they change shape or size before or during mating and then return to their normal form. Although, alligators are an exception. Males have permanently erect penises, covered in layers of the tough protein collagen, which are tucked inside their cloacas, which is the chamber that houses both digestive and reproductive organs. When aroused, their six-inch-long penis suddenly emerges.Instead of muscles pushing it outward, pressure from the alligator’s abdomen forces the penis to extend, making it a crucial part of their reproductive behavior.Female kangaroos, like all marsupials, have three vaginal tubes but a single vaginal opening, which avoids any confusion for their mates. When males inseminate females, the sperm moves up one or both of the side tubes. Around 30 days later, the tiny joey moves down the central tube and continues its journey into the mother’s pouch, where it will remain for the rest of its development.The antechinus, a small, mouse-like marsupial native to Australia, would likely go unnoticed if not for a peculiar trait which is during their short mating season, male antechinuses mate with females for up to 12 hours continuously, depleting their bodies of essential proteins and weakening their immune systems. Soon after, the males die from exhaustion, while the females give birth to litters with multiple fathers which means, each baby having a different dad.The females survive a bit longer to care for their offspring, but they typically die within the year, having only the chance to breed once.Flatworms are among the most basic invertebrates, lacking specialized circulatory and respiratory organs and using the same body opening for both feeding and excretion. However, during mating season, their behavior changes dramatically- these hermaphroditic creatures, equipped with both male and female reproductive organs, grow sharp, dagger-like appendages and engage in a slow-motion fencing match. The duel ends when one worm "scores" by piercing the other's skin.The "loser" becomes impregnated and assumes the role of the mother, while the "winner" often continues the battle until it too becomes a mother, further confusing traditional gender roles.Once a year, male porcupines compete fiercely with each other—fighting, biting, and scratching—to win the opportunity to mate. The winner then climbs onto a tree branch and urinates extensively on the female, triggering her to enter estrus. Afterward, the process is more straightforward: the female retracts her quills to prevent harming her partner, and the mating itself lasts only a few seconds.You might think that an animal spending its whole life anchored in one place would lead a relatively quiet sexual existence. However, barnacles- which are hermaphrodites, so it's inaccurate to call them "males"as they possess the largest penises in relation to their size of any animal on the planet, with their organs growing up to eight times the length of their bodies. In the act of mating, barnacles extend their reproductive organs to fertilize nearby barnacles, all while likely being simultaneously stimulated and probed themselves.Certain hermaphroditic species of snails and slugs use the invertebrate version of Cupid’s arrows—slender, sharp projectiles made of calcium or tough proteins—before mating. One of these "love darts" punctures the receiving snail's skin, sometimes even reaching its internal organs, and releases a chemical that makes the snail more receptive to the sperm of the attacking snail. These darts don’t deliver sperm directly; that occurs in the traditional manner during the mating process itself.Female chickens, or hens, are generally smaller than roosters and sometimes can't avoid mating with less-than-ideal males. However, after copulation, upset or dissatisfied females can expel up to 80% of the sperm from the unwanted male, increasing the chances that they may later mate with roosters of higher status in the flock.While colony collapse disorder, which is threatening bee populations worldwide, gets a lot of attention, the tragic fate of the individual drone honeybee is often ignored. Before a queen bee can ascend to her royal role, she must be inseminated by a male. This is where the unfortunate drone comes into play: during mating, the male’s penis is torn off while still inside the queen, and he dies shortly afterward. Considering the grim destiny of male honeybees, it’s not surprising that mature queens deliberately mate with them in specific "mating yards."Homosexuality is a genetic biological trait found in certain animal species, and it is particularly prevalent among male sheep. It is estimated that nearly 10 percent of rams prefer to mate with other rams instead of females. Contrary to the belief that this behavior may be a consequence of human breeding practices, research has shown that it is linked to a specific area of the brain, the hypothalamus, indicating that it is an innate, rather than learned, behavior.Anglerfish, known for using fleshy growths on their heads to attract prey, live in the deep ocean where females are scarce. To cope with this, some male anglerfish are much smaller than females and physically attach to them, essentially becoming a permanent parasite that delivers a steady stream of sperm. This adaptation allows the females to grow larger and succeed in the food chain. Males who fail to find a mate, however, die and are consumed by other fish.Most animals that are unsuccessful during mating season have to accept their fate. However, the male damselfly is different—it can use its uniquely shaped insect penis to physically remove the sperm of the previous male from the female’s cloaca, improving its chances of passing on its own genes. As a result of this strategy, damselflies take an unusually long time to mate, which is why they are often seen flying in tandem over long distances.Also read: 10 animals with food-inspired names from the fried egg jellyfish to the pineapple fish