If People Flirted Like Animals

Human courtship behavior can be pretty awful: lots of awkward eye glances, many purchased drinks, a bevy of corny pick-up lines. But between fending off “pick-up artists” and just generally fumbling our way through, we can all rest assured knowing that, if the rest of the natural world is considered, dating could be much, much worse. BBC's Earth Unplugged really brought that point home in the video above, which shows what flirting would be like if we did it like some of the world's more exuberant daters.

The film, shot in the vein of the viral How Animals Eat Their Food, may leave you wanting a little bit more, like visuals of the actual animal rituals portrayed. Fortunately, the Earth Unplugged team also offered this helpful explainer video, showing how the animals actually make these mating displays work. Except the porcupine one.

How Animals Attract a Mate (Explained) - Zoo La La - Earth Unplugged

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More from Smithsonian.com:

The Mating Game
Video: A Drone Mates With a Queen Bee in Glorious Slow-Motion
Pink Flamingoes Attract Mates With Make-Up

Colin Schultz | | READ MORE

Colin Schultz is a freelance science writer and editor based in Toronto, Canada. He blogs for Smart News and contributes to the American Geophysical Union. He has a B.Sc. in physical science and philosophy, and a M.A. in journalism.