If you don't dance well, it's not only a small matter that you can't get out of bed, but you may even lose your life!

You may not know: In the animal world, there is also a group of male dancers who pick up girls with their dancing skills.

If they can't jump well, they may not be able to escape, but they may even lose their lives!

Power Dancer: Fiddler Crab

Fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) are a type of small crab that lives on beaches. Male fiddler crabs have a large claw that sometimes grows larger than their carapace.

They wander around the caves all day long, often waving their large claws. People once imagined that they were calling the tide, and the interesting name of fiddler crabs came from this.

Image from Mnolf CC BY-SA 2.0

If male fiddler crabs could understand human language, they would definitely have a question mark on their faces: I was clearly trying to show my affection to the "sweetheart crab", so how did it become a shaman act?

In the world of fiddler crabs, whether a male crab is handsome or not depends entirely on how well it dances the "claw dance". The bigger their claws are and the faster and longer they wave, the more attractive they are to the female fiddler crabs.

The female fiddler crabs' pursuit of perfect dancing postures quietly selects the male dancers in the fiddler crab family, and the claws they use for dancing have evolved to become extremely exaggerated.

Fiddler Crab's Dance Index: ★★☆☆☆

The male fiddler crab has a huge claw. Image from Rushen CC BY-SA 2.0

Timid Dancing Man: Anolis sabinosus

The Cuban anole (Anolis sagrei) can seamlessly switch between light brown, reddish brown and brown-black, so it is also called the "false chameleon."

Male Anolis sabinosus usually look plain, but they magically transform into passionate dancers during the breeding season. If they find a member of the opposite sex they like, they will shake their heads excitedly and show off their orange-red semicircular throat fans. To make their "fan dance" even cooler, they also do a few push-ups with their short legs from time to time.

The funny thing is that no matter how attractive the beautiful women of the same species are, the little lizard dancers will not get carried away. As long as they sense the presence of predators, the dancing male anole lizards will immediately become timid, and the swing of their heads may decrease by 40%, as if they are about to turn around and run away in the next second.

These cowards who believe that "love is precious, but life is more precious" are truly a disgrace to the animal male dancers world.

The dance index of Anole Lizard: ★★☆☆☆

Anole serrata showing off its throat fan. Photo by Hans Hillewaert CC BY-SA 4.0

Swing Dancer: Little Rock Frog

Like many other frogs, male small rock frogs (Micrixalus spp.) of India's Western Ghats use vocalizations as a romantic call.

However, even if they shout at the top of their lungs, the noise they make is hardly enough to drown out the sound of the gurgling stream. The affectionate calls of countless male frogs in unison can also make it difficult for female small rock frogs to make a choice.

Smart male rock frogs have evolved an eye-catching waggle dance to court a mate. They will climb the most conspicuous rocks in the stream and wait eagerly for the female rock frog to appear.

Once they find their target, the male frogs will inflate their vocal sacs and scream loudly, while they stretch out their slender hind legs and spread their wide webbed feet to swing them around. While everyone is busy dancing, they will quietly kick their rival into the water, which is also a basic operation of these black-bellied frog dancers.

Here’s a quick brain teaser: Why do the little rock frog dancers only use one leg to do the swing dance?

Little Rock Frog's Dance Index: ★★★☆☆

The rock frog stretches its legs to perform the "sway dance". Image courtesy of SathyabhamaDasBiju CC BY-SA 3.0

The Guppy

The small and exquisite guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is a common small fish in tropical American streams and is one of the most popular freshwater ornamental fish in the world.

Adult male guppies are only 2-3 centimeters long, which is only about half the length of female fish. Since they can't play the role of "real man", male guppies have to change to the beautiful and charming route, trying to impress the other party with romantic underwater ballet.

If you want to dance like a fairy, you need a decent outfit. The slender and flowing dorsal and caudal fins make the male guppy wear a beautiful ballet skirt.

They also collect carotenoids from their food, giving their fins and bodies striking orange markings. After carefully preening, male guppies are naturally full of confidence when they pursue their favorite fish.

They will dance around each other, twisting their bodies into an "S" shape from time to time, creating a difficult pose that combines strength and softness. When a strong guppy girl meets such a charming little dancer, she simply cannot refuse.

Guppy's dance index: ★★★☆☆

A male guppy dancing around a female fish, from a public domain image on needpix

Tap Dancer: Blue-footed Booby

The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii), which gets its whimsical name from its large blue feet, only returns to the Galapagos Islands when it’s time to give birth.

The word "booby" also means "idiot" in English, but the male blue-footed boobies dancing to woo mates are so happy! Their dance is a wobbly tap dance style, and when they are excited, they will spread their wide wings and raise their heads to the sky to make a somewhat silly appearance.

Image from Tencent Video

Throughout the dance, the male blue-footed booby will constantly show his feet, as if to say: "Look at these feet, they are big and blue; look at my body, it is strong and strong."

It turns out that the blue-footed booby's feet are uniquely blue because they contain carotenoids from fish. Only blue-footed boobies that catch a lot of fish and eat well can have a pair of bright and beautiful blue feet.

By choosing such a capable boyfriend, the expectant blue-footed booby mother has found a long-term meal ticket for her future children.

Blue-footed booby's dance performance index: ★★★★☆

A male blue-footed booby dances to show off his blue feet. Photo by Diego Delso CC BY-SA 4.0

Dancing Man: Sage Grouse

There are thousands of male dancers in the animal kingdom, but the most dedicated are the sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Every early spring, male sage grouse put on a gorgeous breeding plumage.

The thick white feather "cape", the radiating slender tail coverts, and the two bright yellow round air sacs on the chest make these largest grouse in North America look particularly majestic.

Image from Tencent Video

When the first rays of dawn appear, grouse men from all directions will gather at the spacious breeding grounds passed down from generation to generation, braving the cold wind to participate in the lively "Dancing to Win a Bride" meeting.

They strut and show off their dancing steps, puffing up the two air sacs on their chests and shaking them continuously, making loud calls that can be heard thousands of meters away. They can dance tirelessly for several hours to impress the female sage grouse hiding in the dark.

Faced with such a majestic, luxurious and sincere male dancer in fancy dress, even the most discerning grouse girl would sincerely admire: Grouse, you are so beautiful!

Sage Grouse's dance index: ★★★★☆

The sage grouse "strong man" dancing in full dress, picture from Wikipedia public domain image

Dynamic Dancing Man: Peacock Jumping Spider

The male peacock jumping spider (Maratus volans) is only a few millimeters in size, but it is one of the greatest animal dancers on Earth.

They have striking orange stripes on their heads and a circle of circular skin flaps on both sides of their abdomen that can be retracted and expanded freely. The stripes on the abdomen and above the skin flaps are colorful, flashing an ever-changing metallic luster in the sun.

Once they meet their long-awaited future mate, the beautiful peacock spiders will raise their third pair of legs high, spread their skin flaps and lift their abdomens like a peacock spreading its tail, and passionately show off their unique "fan" dance. They shake their fan-shaped abdomens at full speed, nimbly changing their agile and complex dance steps, and dance left and right in front of the female spider.

The dancing posture of male peacock jumping spiders is graceful and elegant, but every step they take is a matter of life and death. If the female spider is not satisfied with the courtship dance or does not need a husband for the time being, she will not only refuse the courtship of the male peacock jumping spider, but may also turn the other party into a luxurious lunch without hesitation.

The seemingly cute peacock jumping spider dancers are actually dancing with their lives every second. No wonder their dance is always so passionate and unrestrained.

Peacock jumping spider's dance index: ★★★★☆

A dancing male peacock spider. Image courtesy of Jurgen Otto CC BY-SA 2.0

After reading this, have you already chosen your ideal "Dance King"? Some of you must be eager to try, right? No matter where you are in the world or what kind of life you are, dance is always one of the most beautiful things in the world. If one day you can express your love to the goddess of your dreams with a perfect dance, that feeling must be like reaching the pinnacle of life.

References:

[1]Fiddler crab [EB/OL]，[2020-04-27]

[2]Lizard species found to reduce head bobbing mating ritual when predators are around, [EB/OL], (2014-05-20) [2020-04-27]

[3]14 Species of Unusual Dancing Frogs Discovered in Western Ghats[EB/OL], (2014-05-12)[2020-04-27]

[4] Guppy [EB/OL], [2020-04-27]

[5] Blue-footed booby [EB/OL], [2020-04-27]

[6] Greater sage grouse [EB/OL]，[2020-04-27]

[7] Maratus volans [EB/OL], [2020-04-27]

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Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo