Will You Be Mine?

On Valentine’s Day, people give cards, flowers, or chocolates to friends and loved ones to show how much they care. But what if instead of the usual gifts, you received a dead insect? You’d probably think that’s gross! How about a plain gray pebble? What a boring present! But to other members of the animal kingdom, bugs and rocks make great gifts.

Like people, many animals give presents to one another, such as food or materials for building homes. “Gift giving happens in all different types of species,” says Adam South, an evolutionary biologist at Tufts University in Massachusetts. “It occurs in flies all the way to primates.”

However, South adds, we shouldn’t assume that animals view gift giving the same way humans do. People offer gifts to express love or appreciation, build friendships, and celebrate important occasions. Most of the time, animals give gifts to woo a mate. But sometimes the reasons for gift giving aren’t as clear. Scientists are still studying certain animals to find out why they give each other presents. Read on to discover five gift-giving behaviors spotted in nature.

On Valentine’s Day, people give cards, flowers, or chocolates to friends and loved ones. These gifts show how much they care. But what if you got a dead insect for a gift instead? That would probably seem gross! How about a plain gray pebble? What a boring present! But other members of the animal kingdom disagree. To them, bugs and rocks make great gifts.

Just like people, many animals give presents to one another. Their gifts include food or materials for building homes. Adam South is an evolutionary biologist at Tufts University in Massachusetts. “Gift giving happens in all different types of species,” he says. “It occurs in flies all the way to primates.”

Do animals view gift giving the same way humans do? We shouldn’t assume that, says South. People offer gifts to show love or appreciation, build friendships, and celebrate important occasions. Most of the time, animals give gifts to win a mate. But their reasons for gift giving aren’t always clear. Scientists are trying to learn why certain animals give each other presents. Read on to discover five gift-giving behaviors in nature.

Telling a crush you like them can be intimidating. But for spiders, expressing their interest can have life-or-death consequences! Female nursery web spiders often eat males that try to mate with them. That’s why the male brings his potential mate a gift. “Not only does a gift increase the chances that the female spider will mate with the male,” says South, “but it also increases the chances that the female won’t eat the male.”

A male will wrap a dead insect in spider silk and approach a female with the package. If she accepts the gift, she’ll open the present and consume the tasty treat inside. But if she rejects the gift, she may chow down on her admirer instead! And if that sounds harsh, guess what happens when a male doesn’t bring a gift: He’s six times more likely to be eaten!

But males have a trick up their sleeve too. If they fail to catch a tasty meal, they’ll wrap up something inedible, like an insect shell. By the time the female discovers her gift is empty, she may have already accepted the male as a mate.

It can be scary to tell a crush you like them. But when spiders express their interest, the result can be life or death! When male nursery web spiders try to mate with females, the females often eat them. So the male brings his potential mate a gift. “Not only does a gift increase the chances that the female spider will mate with the male,” says South, “but it also increases the chances that the female won’t eat the male.”

A male wraps a dead insect in spider silk and offers it to a female. If she accepts the package, she opens it and eats the tasty treat inside. But if she rejects the gift, she may eat her admirer instead! It’s even worse when a male doesn’t bring a gift. Then he’s six times more likely to be eaten!

But males have a trick up their sleeve too. If they fail to catch food, they’ll wrap up something else, like an insect shell. The female will open the fake gift. But by then, she may have already accepted the male as a mate.

Animals don’t usually share their food with strangers—but bonobos do! Bonobos are a species of great ape found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They live in large groups and share food they forage, or gather, with others in their community. Recently, scientists at Duke University in North Carolina studied bonobos and found that individuals were more likely to give fruit to a stranger than to a bonobo they knew.

The researchers placed a bonobo in an enclosure with a pile of bananas. It could choose to eat all the bananas itself, or it could open one of two barred gates. That would allow another bonobo in to share the food. Behind the first gate was a bonobo that was part of the subject’s family group. Behind the other was an unfamiliar bonobo. Surprisingly, most of the subjects chose to share with the stranger. The scientists think this behavior may be a way for these African apes to make new pals and extend their social network.

Animals don’t usually share their food with strangers, but bonobos do! Bonobos are a species of great ape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They live in large groups. The apes forage, or gather food. Then they share it with others in their community. Recently, scientists at Duke University in North Carolina studied bonobos. They found that bonobos were more likely to give fruit to a stranger than to an ape in their group.

The researchers placed a bonobo in an enclosure with a pile of bananas. It could eat all the bananas itself, or it could open one of two gates. That would allow another bonobo in to share the food. A bonobo from the subject’s family group was behind one gate. An unfamiliar bonobo was behind the other. The results were surprising. Most of the subjects chose to share with the stranger. The scientists think this behavior may help bonobos to make new pals. That way, they extend their social network.