8 Animals That Mate for Life

Swans - Symbols of True Love

Two swans touching beaks—it's the universal symbol of true love in the animal kingdom. And as it turns out, it really does indicate true love—or at least that's what humans would call it. Swans form monogamous pair bonds that last for many years, and in some cases these bonds can last for life.

Romantic? Sure, but swan pairs are more a matter of survival than love. When you factor in the amount of time swans need to migrate, establish territories, incubate, and raise their young, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to waste any extra time attracting a new mate each season.

Wolves - Loyal for Life

These sly old dogs are not as independent as you might think. Lone wolf stereotypes aside, most wolf "families" consist of a male, a female, and their pups. Just like a human family.

Alpha males share dominance within the pack with their alpha female, except during mating season, when the alpha female is in charge.

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Albatross - Always Faithful

Many bird species mate for life, but albatross take things up a notch by learning advanced moves to keep the romance alive with their mate. From a young age, albatrosses learn how to woo their mates using an elaborate system of preening, pointing, rattling, bowing, and dancing. They may try these moves out with many partners, but once they pick "the one," they are faithful mates for life. 

Gibbons - Maybe Faithful, Maybe Not

Gibbons are our closest animal relatives that mate with their partners for life. Males and females are roughly the same size, making grooming and relaxing together a comfortable fit. New research shows that there may be some philandering going on within gibbons packs, but overall, pairs stay together for a lifetime.

French Angelfish - Love Under the Sea

French angelfish are very rarely—if ever—alone. They form close, monogamous pairs from a young age and then do everything with their mate for the rest of their lives. They live, travel and hunt in pairs and will even defend their ocean territory against neighboring pairs of fish.

Turtle Doves - Always in Twos

There is a good reason that turtle doves come in twos in the famous Christmas carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." These birds mate for life. Their faithfulness even inspired Shakespeare, who wrote about them in his poem, "The Phoenix and the Turtle."

Prairie Voles - Romantic Rodents

Most rodents are not monogamous by nature, but prairie voles are the exception to the rule. They form lifelong pair bonds with their partners and spend their lives nesting, grooming, mating with, and supporting their mates. In fact, they are often used as the model for faithful monogamous relationships in nature.

Termites - A Family Affair

When one thinks of faithful animal couples, one doesn't usually call to mind termites, but that's just what they are. Unlike ants, where the queen mates once with a male or several males before their death, termite queens mate with one termite "king" throughout their lives. Thus, entire termite colonies are really just a mom dad and thousands of their offspring. Awww...