Video: The next time you get rejected, thank your lucky stars you’re not a male widowbird, the poor creature who has to jump really high for a long time just to get a little bit of attention and, if all goes according to plan, some action.
Image: YouTube
On Sunday, Planet Earth II broadcast its “Grasslands” episode, which dove into all the lovely flora and fauna of the planet’s grassy plains. One section was devoted to a bizarre but oddly compelling jumping competition between male widowbirds, who were out to impress their female counterparts.
“It’s not only who jumps the highest, but who can keep doing so the longest,” narrator David Attenborough explained in his wonderful, majestic voice. (On a semi-related note, can somebody make a documentary about his voice? I would watch that, and I bet you would, too.)
The mating ritual brings to mind another one of Planet Earth‘s best clips — the odd and colourful sexy time dance performed by the “birds of paradise”. They sure beat the preferred human mating tradition of nervously drinking and talking too much.
[YouTube]