SURVIVING THE AMAZON – JUNGLE LOVE

Abundant as the jungles of the Amazon are, finding love and raising a family can be a challenge and mating strategies are as different as the animals themselves.

Abundant as the jungles of the Amazon are, finding love and raising a family can be a challenge and mating strategies are as different as the animals themselves. The rainforest canopy is home to many species of monkeys like the titis. They’re monkey monogamists. When they hook up they’re looking for love that will last a lifetime. They couldn’t be more different than their neighbours the squirrel monkeys. These plucky primates come together only during breeding season then they go their separate ways. For saddleback tamarins love is a family affair. Mainly polyandrous, two males mate with one female but they stick around to help raise the next generation. Fluttering through the trees is the Sara longwing butterfly. She gets only one chance to mate in her six month lifetime while up the in the trees things the opposite is true for the male oropendola bird. He’s the Casanova of the bird kingdom and he’s guarding the nests of his thirty plus female conquests. Down by the river a young capybara buck is looking for mates but is this rodent Romeo ready to take on the head of a harem? Will youth triumph over experience in this mating game? The golden orb spider is a jungle resident that goes to extraordinary lengths to mate – he’s willing to risk his life. His love interest is ten times his size and if she’s hungry will happily snack on any suitor on her web. During the daytime in the Amazon animals show off their bright colours and eye-catching displays for the opposite sex, but for some of the most vulnerable creatures, it’s safer to wait for the cover of darkness for the risky business of attracting attention. As dusk falls across the Amazon, the signature sounds of the rainforest are these creatures crying out for love. For many, like the basin tree frog, it’s a trial of endurance to have any hope of romantic success. But one thing is certain: Love, in all its forms, triumphs here in the rainforest.