Buzz
Everyone enjoys receiving a gift from time to time, particularly when it comes from someone dear to us. Unlike humans, who typically exchange thoughtful presents, animals are not typically known for their gifting abilities, with the exception of cats offering their caught prey, which we may not want to consume.
However, as we'll explore here, many animals do have their own unique ways of giving presents, whether it’s a wad of saliva or even a dangerous toxin. Here are 10 remarkable examples of gift-giving in the animal kingdom.
10. Spiders
Gift-giving is not just about the gift itself, but also about how it’s presented. No animal understands the significance of presentation better than Paratrechalea ornata. Males of this South American spider species use gifts to attract females, offering them bundles of prey wrapped in silk. The larger the gift, the better the chance for mating. Beyond the nutritional value, these offerings are believed to excite females because of their resemblance to egg sacs.
However, we all know that male spiders are typically motivated by one thing, and some of them will go to great lengths to get it. This includes wrapping up inferior prey or even the leftovers of meals they've already consumed.
While the female is busy unwrapping what she thinks is a thoughtful gesture, the male takes advantage of the situation, mating with her and quickly scurrying away before she realizes. One study discovered that as many as 70 percent of the gifts given are deceptive.
9. Jays
Some animals may give gifts with the expectation of receiving something in return, but not the Eurasian jay. These remarkable birds seem to give gifts to their mates simply because they know the females will appreciate them. While this may be hard for us to grasp, it’s believed that these birds possess what’s known as 'theory of mind,' the ability to understand things from another individual’s perspective.
In one study, males observed their mates eating either moths or worms and then had the opportunity to offer them one of the two. If the female had been eating moths, she was given a worm. If she had been eating worms, she received a moth. However, when the males couldn’t see what the females had eaten, there was no pattern.
This suggests that the males recognize that the females prefer variety. The researcher conducting the study compared it to a man giving his wife a choice between regular chocolate and her favorite chocolate. While she’ll accept both, one will surely make her happier.
8. Moths
Whether it’s for a birthday, Valentine’s Day, or an anniversary, who among us can resist receiving a large box of cyanide? Six-spot burnet moths produce cyanide as a defense mechanism, but it comes at a significant cost to their energy and nutrient reserves.
To attract mates, males use their cyanide-producing chemicals. Females can detect the amount of these chemicals through the male’s pheromones and choose to mate with those who have the highest concentrations.
Since the levels of these chemicals decrease in males and increase in females after mating, the most accepted theory is that the chemicals are transferred via sperm. When the female lays her eggs, she passes some of these chemicals onto her offspring, giving them a robust defense and increasing their chances of survival.
7. Bonobos
A nuptial gift refers to a present a male offers to a female during courtship or copulation. These gifts are often nutritious, and nearly all gifts exchanged in the animal world can be classified as nuptial. However, if we seek an example of gift-giving driven by something beyond reproduction, we only need to look at our closest relatives, the bonobos.
Despite being infamous for their intense sexual behavior, bonobos have an intriguing practice of offering food to strangers. This is quite rare, as most animals are focused on self-preservation or safeguarding others within their group.
Bonobos are social creatures that enjoy making new connections. They willingly share food if it means they can engage with bonobos from other groups, highlighting their cooperative nature.
6. Penguins
One of the most iconic examples of animals exchanging gifts involves male penguins who present pebbles to females as part of their courtship rituals. Penguins are renowned for forming lifelong bonds, making them a symbol of romantic love in the animal kingdom. However, like many stories on the internet, the truth behind this behavior has been distorted.
You’ve probably seen memes or trivia stating that male penguins go on extensive searches to find the perfect pebble to offer to their mate, with the females supposedly viewing it as a piece of jewelry or art. In reality, while males do work hard to find pebbles, they do so for practical reasons beyond aesthetics.
Penguins use these pebbles to construct their nests. Since stones are scarce in Antarctica, it takes effort to find them. When a male offers a pebble to a female, she understands that he is proposing they build a nest together. Therefore, these pebbles are far more than decorative objects— they are essentially penguin proposals.
5. Dolphins
There’s one gift you should never, under any circumstances, give your girlfriend: a sponge. However, this advice seems to have eluded male humpback dolphins, who try to woo potential mates by offering just that.
In addition to serenading with a tune from his blowhole and striking the iconic 'banana pose', a male dolphin will dive down to the ocean floor, retrieve a sponge, bring it to the surface, and present it to a female, tossing it around or even wearing it as a hat.
Researchers believe this odd performance is because sponges are incredibly hard to retrieve. Not only do they require immense strength to dislodge from the ocean floor, but they also release a toxic substance when attacked by predators. As a result, only the most skilled dolphins can safely collect them. However, despite the display of toughness, researchers question whether the females are actually impressed at all.
4. Great Grey Shrike
The great grey shrike is a small, delicate songbird resembling a robin in appearance. However, its personality is far from sweet, as it is a ruthless predator, earning the nickname 'the butcher bird.'
Unlike most birds of its size that feast on worms or berries, the great grey shrike prefers a diet of small animals, including lizards, frogs, mice, and even other birds. It has earned its gruesome reputation by not just eating its prey but by first crushing its skull or spine, then impaling it on a thorn or piece of barbed wire.
These gruesome impaled meals serve as a way for the shrike to store food for later, acting as a 'larder' from which it can return for meals over several days.
During mating season, male shrikes proudly display their larders to attract attention from females. The shrikes with the most well-stocked larders are the most attractive to potential mates. Once a female has chosen her partner, she is free to help herself to his larder at any time.
3. Crows
Magpies are notorious for their love of shiny objects, but they aren't the only birds attracted to the sparkling. Over the course of several years, a young girl named Gabi Mann from Seattle formed a special connection with her local crows.
This bond began when Gabi was just four years old. The crows would pick up food scraps she had left behind. Before long, Gabi started sharing her food with the crows, and after some time, she and her brother began feeding them each morning in their backyard.
After a few years of benefiting from Gabi's generosity, the crows decided to reciprocate. Once all the food was gone, they would leave shiny gifts for Gabi. Among their offerings were buttons, a small lightbulb, screws, earrings, a heart-shaped pendant, and even the 'best' half of a 'best friends' necklace.
Perhaps the most remarkable gift came when Gabi's mother lost the lens cap from her camera. When she returned home, she discovered the lens cap placed on the bird bath. CCTV footage revealed that the crow who returned it had even cleaned it in the bath before leaving it there.
If you're looking to connect with your local crows, the key to winning their hearts is by regularly offering them unsalted shelled peanuts.
2. Kingfishers
Fans of the Alien franchise might be surprised to find similarities between the terrifying Xenomorph and the less menacing kingfisher. While the alien resembles a humanoid more than a bird, it shares one famous trait with the kingfisher: the ability to open its mouth to reveal a second, extendable one. During mating season, male kingfishers perform a similar act to attract females.
Normally, kingfishers consume their prey headfirst for easy swallowing. However, during mating season, males will present their catch backward. They then open their beaks to display the fish, which faces the females directly.
Previously, it was believed that this could be a bonding ritual. However, one study revealed that the more fish a female received, the more eggs she produced. The prevailing theory now suggests that males do the intense hunting work so that females can save their energy for egg production.
1. Dance Fly
Paratrechalea ornata might believe that wrapping its gifts in silk is the perfect touch, but dance flies know that no celebration is complete without balloons. Over 700 species of dance flies exist, and most create balloons from hundreds of tiny bubbles using saliva or silk. These balloons are then presented during their elaborate mating dances.
What makes these flies particularly interesting is the way their balloons relate to their ‘confidence’ and mating success. Males with the largest prey will craft smaller balloons, while those with less to offer make larger balloons filled with scraps of food.
In certain subspecies, there is no food involved. Instead, males simply create balloons and present them to their mates. While larger males tend to craft bigger balloons, the size of the balloon is not the primary factor.
One study showed that large males with medium-sized balloons had the most success. The theory behind this is that large balloons attract females from a greater distance, but a balloon that’s too big can make it difficult for the male to fend off other rivals when a female approaches. (Try fighting off competitors with a giant balloon and see how well you fare.)
The takeaway here, gentlemen, is that overcompensating can actually hurt your chances. It’s not about the size of your balloon, but rather how you use it.
