
Some whispered words, a lingering glance, a long embrace. It’s the stuff of rom-coms and reality shows everywhere. But love is all around for wildlife, too. The five “love languages” people can use to express and receive love aren’t unique to us. From romantic gestures to family bonding, wildlife show their affection, friendship, and support in ways that don’t seem that different from ours.
Siamangs use large throat sacs to amplify their singing, allowing them to communicate with their partners from up to two miles away.
Words of Affirmation: Gibbons
Love is in the air—quite literally, for gibbons. When these primates pair up, they synchronize their individual mating calls into a unique song, making sweet music together that can be heard across the areas we protect through our Asia Conservation Hub. While grooming each other or exploring the forest canopy, gibbon partners use their duet to maintain their bond and keep track of each other. In fact, the female sings while her mate is out so he doesn’t stray too far away from home.
Hum a tune as you visit siamangs, the largest of the gibbon subspecies, along Treetops Way at the San Diego Zoo.
Evidence suggests that injured dolphins can emit distress calls to ask for help, and their pod mates can vocalize in return to express their support. Photo Credit | NaluPhoto/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Acts of Service: Dolphins
Just as we bring soup and tissues to a friend when they’re sick, bottlenose dolphins care for each other in times of need. When a fellow dolphin is ill or injured, groups of up to a dozen or more swim into action. Some help push the dolphin to the water’s surface to aid their breathing and let them rest. Others circle the support group to protect them from predators during this vulnerable period. Groups have been known to stay with their ailing friend for hours at a time. Just as we care for wildlife through our Oceans Conservation Hub, these caring communities look out for each other, lending their strength and compassion when it’s needed most.
Young elephants learn how to use their trunks starting around one year old, and soon after can interact with each other in many meaningful ways.
Physical Touch: Elephants
Like a handshake, high five, or healing hug, elephants use their trunks to show and strengthen their relationships. Just as humans hold hands, elephants entwine their trunks during courtship. If an elephant is sick or grieving, others use their trunks to gently caress their friend. They even place their trunks in each other’s mouths during bonding ceremonies to celebrate reunions and births. Touch can be for fun, too, as elephants engage in lighthearted trunk wrestling matches with their pals. And sometimes tough love is in order: older elephants are known to use trunk slaps to discipline younger elephants!
You can see these elephant interactions for yourself at the Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Elephant Valley.
Tree bark is tasty but low in nutritional value, so Eurasian beavers require a lot of it. By sharing the food-gathering duties, beaver parents ensure the whole family gets fed. Photo Credit | Karl Weller/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Quality Time: Beavers
Home is where the heart is, and few species know that better than Eurasian beavers. These semiaquatic rodents live in nuclear family groups in their cozy wood lodges. Beaver mates share household chores, such as maintaining their nearby dam and guarding their territory. When their kits (babies) are born, mom stays inside to nurse while dad protects their home. And as the kits grow up, the parents gather tree bark together to feed the whole group while the older siblings take over babysitting duties. A family that shares is a family that cares.
A pebble might seem like a simple gift, but it’s the beginning of lasting love, as many penguins form monogamous relationships. Photo Credit | NicoElNino/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Giving Gifts: Penguins
Humans may propose to one another with diamonds, but nothing makes a penguin swoon more than a pebble. During mating season, a male gentoo or Adélie penguin scours his rocky coastal landscape for the smoothest, shiniest pebble he can find. He presents his gift to a potential partner, and if she accepts, it becomes the first stone in a nest they build together. But it’s not all wedded bliss: if the male can’t find a suitable stone on his own, he might secretly steal one from a neighboring nest. If he gets caught, a penguin scuffle may ensue, but nothing will stand in the way of true love!
We save, protect, and care for penguins through our Oceans Conservation Hub. To see these charming birds for yourself, just hop your way over to Africa Rocks at the Zoo.
We feel your love as an ally every day. Your support of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance makes our conservation efforts possible, and together we’re saving, protecting, and caring for wildlife and their ecosystems worldwide.