Jealousy isn't unique to humans, nor is it unique to humans having romantic rivals or engaging in battles with them; it happens in the animal kingdom as well. Whether human or animal, the desire for control and possessiveness between lovers is the same. Seeing their partner intimately interacting with other members of the opposite sex often breeds jealousy. The best approach is to control one's emotions and communicate calmly with one's partner. Otherwise, it could escalate into a "bloodbath caused by jealousy."
1. A male polar bear fought off 10 rivals and returned home wounded to his mother.
In October 2011, the BBC documentary "Frozen Planet" showcased a series of stunning images of life in the polar regions. The crew spent years filming the natural world at both poles, including fascinating footage of a male polar bear fighting off 10 rivals for mating rights, sustaining numerous injuries but ultimately winning the heart of a mate. The crew spent 14 days filming how a male polar bear fought off up to 10 rivals, covered in blood and wounds, to win the right to mate with a female polar bear and then "entwined" in a tender moment.
2. A jealous lioness tore off a male lion's tongue to prevent him from getting close to his rival.
In December 2008, a photographer captured astonishing footage in Botswana's Okavango Delta of a lioness tearing apart a male lion's tongue to prevent him from approaching a rival. Reportedly, another lioness in heat was calling to the male, which greatly angered his mate. She desperately tried to prevent him from approaching the rival, but the male ignored her and attempted to cross a ditch to mate with the other lioness. Enraged, the lioness roared at the male and then tore apart his tongue with her claws.
3. A beautiful elephant seal goes to war with its rival for the "harem of beauties".
In March 2013, American wildlife photographer Justin Hoffman captured a series of images in Gold Bay, South Georgia Island, showing a large elephant seal fighting with a rival. After defeating its opponent, the wounded seal seemed extremely satisfied with its harem of 30 female walruses, snuggling up to one of them with a smug expression.
4. An "elegant" duel between rivals among Zambian giraffes
On April 9, 2013, wildlife photographer Dana Allen captured on camera a "graceful" duel between male giraffes in South Rwanga National Park, Zambia. The footage shows two male giraffes, their antlers touching and their legs hooked around each other's necks, resembling dancers performing a tango. In reality, the two males were engaged in a fierce fight for a mate, headbutting each other and hooking their legs around each other's necks to force the other to lose their balance. The duel lasted for two hours, with the victor ultimately gaining ownership of the female giraffe.
5. Two male elephants in Kenya fight over a mate.
In October 2012, in the Maasai Mara National Wildlife Reserve in Kenya, two male elephants engaged in a 20-minute fight over a mate. They butted tusks and entangled their trunks. But the whole process didn't look like a fight; rather, it resembled two enormous creatures playing amicably.
6. Elephant and Seal Courtship Battle Under the Snow
When mating season arrives, approximately 400,000 southern elephant seals roam the coastline of South Georgia Island. Starting in mid-September, a group of male seals arrives first, dragging their heavy bodies up the rocky shore, where they almost immediately begin fighting. This is no small-scale brawl; it's a series of bloody battles. Some seals have their noses torn, their skin ripped open, and their eyeballs fall to the ground. The stakes are high: only about one-third of the male seals win the chance to reproduce. The largest males often hold the dominant position. In the battles for territory, the elephant seals also enthusiastically display their incomparably long trunks, using them to roar and hiss—essentially for showing off.
7. The fight between African squirrels over a mate resembles a kung fu competition.
In December 2008, a photographer captured a series of stunning photos in Namibia, Africa, showing two "kung fu squirrels" fighting over a mate. The photos show the two squirrels battling, with one squirrel flying at its opponent and pinning it to the ground. The attacker then executes a perfect kick, clearly demonstrating its strong kung fu enthusiast skills—a move that would have pleased kung fu master Bruce Lee.
8. Two male seals fight one-on-one on the beach for a mate.
In June 2012, a photographer captured a rare scene of two male elephant seals fighting on a beach in the Falkland Islands over who would become the leader of a group of up to 100 female seals.
9. Two male kangaroos fought fiercely over the heart of their sweetheart.
At the renowned Chester Zoo in England, photographer Adam Ashton captured a different side of kangaroos: two male kangaroos fighting fiercely over a potential mate.
10. The clever cuttlefish outwits its rival by cleverly "disguising" itself.
In July 2012, Australian biologists discovered that male cuttlefish can use half of their body to perform a courtship act to attract female cuttlefish in order to intimidate their rivals, while using the other half to disguise themselves as female cuttlefish to confuse other male cuttlefish and prevent them from mating.
11. Male tiger's "love triangle" leads to female tiger killing her husband in anger.
In September 2011, a female tiger at the El Paso Zoo in Texas, caught in a love triangle, succumbed to jealousy and killed her partner. The zoo said in a statement that the 3-year-old tiger, named Celie, had become entangled in a love triangle with her 6-year-old partner, Woods, and another 15-year-old female tiger in the zoo in June. "The male tiger, Woods, was attracted to both females, but the two women disliked each other," the zoo stated. After months of this ordeal, Celie attacked Woods inside their enclosure on September 9th.
12. A little bird, seeing itself in the mirror, mistook itself for a love rival and pecked up all the car rearview mirrors in the village.
In March 2009, a village in England was inexplicably harassed by wagtails, with almost every car's rearview mirror being pecked to pieces. It turned out that it was the wagtails' mating season, and these birds are known for their territorial battles with rivals. However, that year the situation was exceptionally severe; the wagtails even mistook their own reflections in the mirrors for rivals and launched frenzied attacks. The villagers were forced to make special mirror covers to protect their cars.
13. Dragonflies were posing romantically for mating when a rival interfered.
On March 7, 2012, a photographer captured photos of dragonflies "romantic mating" at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England. In the photo, two dragonflies are sweetly forming a heart shape while mating, while a jealous dragonfly flies in from a distance, seemingly wanting to disrupt their beautiful moment and put on a "heart-piercing" performance.
14. Wild stallions fiercely battle for mating rights.
On November 16, 2010, a photographer captured images in a Dutch nature reserve of two male wild horses fiercely battling for mating rights with mares. The horses stood on their hind legs, baring their teeth and fighting intensely. Photographer Henri explained that the herd consisted partly of unmated horses needing to demonstrate their strength to establish their dominance within the herd, and partly of polygamous herds where each stallion had approximately six mares. Within the herd, there was a single dominant stallion, the sole entitled to reproduce.
15. Male long-necked weevils use their long necks as weapons to compete for mating rights.
Madagascar is home to a peculiar insect called the long-necked weevil. It has a very long neck, with the male's neck being 2-3 times longer than the female's. This special neck structure is not only used to build nests but also as a weapon to compete with other males for mating rights and to win the heart of a female.
16. A pheasant mistook a human for a love rival and launched a "fierce attack".
In April 2013, some residents of Inshropshire, England, were afraid to leave their homes due to the "crazy" attacks of a pheasant. The pheasant, nicknamed "Phil," reportedly lurked around the home of local resident Sallyn Hudson day and night, attacking any family members who appeared. When they were inside, Phil would bang its head against the glass and even attempt to break down the door. These actions forced Sallyn Hudson to wear gloves and carry a badminton racket to scare the pheasant away when she went out. Paul North, an expert from the World Peacock Association, explained that the pheasant was exhibiting typical mating season behavior; it must have mistaken Sallyn's family for other male pheasants and thus considered them rivals.
17. Wild red deer engage in a fierce battle for doe.
In October 2008, a series of photos showing red deer battling for doe was released. These red deer live in Richmond Park in southwest London. In the fight for the doe, the males initially compete by roaring. If the dominant male's roar isn't loud enough, a fight ensues, sometimes deadly, involving a fierce headbutting. They violently jab each other, their antlers often intertwined; red deer antlers have 12 or even 14 branches. During the fight, they walk side-by-side, staring at each other, and suddenly one attacks, triggering another antler charge.
18. Male rat snakes in India stage a "mating dance" to compete for dominance.
Male rat snakes in Kolkata's salt lake, India, staged a frenzied "mating dance" in a battle for dominance. The two snakes, living in Kolkata's salt lake, were wildly intertwined, seemingly performing a passionate "mating ceremony," but this was not the case. In reality, they were two male rat snakes vying for supremacy, proving who was the strongest through a unique fighting style.
19. A scene of a British gorilla fighting its love rival.
In December 2009, a tourist captured a photo at a zoo in Kent, England, showing a gorilla violently fighting with a rival for her affections. The photo reveals that the gorilla's method of dealing with its rival was extremely violent and direct.
