• Question: Can animals fall in love??

    Asked by oliviaaa to Jo, Kevin, Louise, Valeria on 21 Jun 2012. This question was also asked by yssbom.
    • Photo: Kevin Mahon

      Kevin Mahon answered on 21 Jun 2012:

      They certainly can form very long lasting breeding pairs. Although a lot of our modern techniques have shown that animals rarely if ever pick one partner and mate with them exclusively (this is called monogamy) there are still many species that have deep, long lasting bonds. Although the emperor penguin may not be 100% monogamous, they still mate for life and often stay with their partner for years.

    • Photo: Joanna Cruden

      Joanna Cruden answered on 21 Jun 2012:

      I don’t think they know they are in love as we may believe ourselves to be but they certainly can form a deep and lasting bond which is a form of love, though I think if you told someone you felt bonded towards them it is not the same as feeling love towards them.

      I sometimes think the animals’ bond is more lasting than love between two people.

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