This week’s Wednesday Cute was written by editorial intern Perry, who thinks penguins make the cutest couples.
Take a deep breath. Do you catch that distinct whiff of chocolate and roses? That’s the smell of love in the air, my friends! As Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, we’re going take a look at some romantic creatures in the animal kingdom and the lessons we can learn from them. Let’s get started with….
1. Sea Otters
Sea otters like to float together – while they’re eating, sleeping, or playing. What is adorable about these little guys is that they hold hands when they’re sleeping so that they don’t float away from each other. Super cute!
Lesson Learned: Hold your significant other’s hand! Even if they have sweaty palms, there is no simpler expression of affection.
2. Penguins
Penguins are known for being super romantic, since most of them mate for life. As part of their mating ritual, male penguins search for a pebble to give to their mate-to-be and not just any pebble, but the prettiest, smoothest one he can find. This is so important to the mating ritual that fights break out over the best pebbles!
Lesson Learned: Give your S.O. something nice! It doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to be a rock (if you catch my drift), but it does have to be meaningful.
3. Seahorses
Seahorses know how to keep a relationship fresh! Mating pairs will meet every morning to do a courtship dance that involves changing color and twirling about the ocean together and when the male seahorse is pregnant (yes, the males get pregnant), the female will check in on him every day to flirt and hold his tail. Now that is sweet!
Lesson Learned: Keep the passion alive! It is important to show your affection for your S.O. every day, not just on anniversaries and Valentine’s day!
4. Lovebirds
These birds take their relationship super seriously! Lovebirds mate for life and spend their days preening and snuggling with their mate. They can behave erratically when separated from the partner, but when they are reunited after a long separation, they feed each other to reinforce their bond. Lovebirds may, in fact, have been part of the inspiration for Valentine’s Day! They appear in a poem called “Parliament of Foules” by Geoffry Chaucer, which was the first piece of literature to connect romantic love with Saint Valentine’s feast day.
Lesson Learned: Be there for each other. You depend on your S.O. and your S.O. depends on you, so be dependable! Through thick and thin, through long absences and life changes, take the time to reinforce your bond with your partner.
5. The Fox and the Hound
In a real-life version of the Disney classic, Copper the fox and Jack the hound became fast friends while staying at the same wildlife center. Both came to the shelter through unfortunate circumstances but immediately took to one another. They spend their days napping, spooning, and playing together. As their caretaker says, “They’re totally devoted to each other, even though Copper now has other foxes in his life”.
Lesson Learned: The strongest relationships are based on friendship. When it comes right down to it, the best way to be a good partner is to be a good friend. So don’t forget to work on those parts of your relationship as well as the romantic parts! Stay in and watch a dumb movie, cook dinner together, or take a hint from our furry friends and take naps together. Do whatever activity you and your S.O. love to do together to remind yourselves of why you liked each other in the first place!
So as Valentine’s day approaches, remember the lessons we can learn from some of the world’s most romantic animals and try to make not just this Saturday memorable, but every day you have with your loved one.
And if you’d like to read more about animals in love, like Copper and Jack, check out Unlikely Loves by Jennifer S. Holland.
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