Texas Hiker Catches Footage of Two Rattlesnakes Duking it Out Over Female
Do you know why I like springtime? Life in general.
There just seems to be more life going on when the sun is shining and the temperature climbs. Anglers are eagerly waiting for the right temperature of water in the local lakes, outdoor lovers are back out on the trails and so is the local wildlife.
I'll admit, the two things I hate about spring are the bugs and the pollen. I hate sneezing and I hate running from bugs. In fact, I broke my ankle in college in an attempt to run away from a plain old honey bee. True story.
Texas Parks and Wildlife shared a photo and video taken at San Antonio Urban Wildlife in Govt. Canyon Natural Area of two male rattlesnakes amid a 'combat dance', fighting for a female. I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were at a local college bar! Apparently, when males fight over access to females it's called intrasexual selection, according to vassar.edu. The other selection process is when a female chooses her mate, called intersexual selection.
At the end of the day, though, this would certainly be something I break my ankle by running the other direction. At the time of this writing the post has been shared nearly 2,500 times.
So with that in mind, I was thinking about what other Texas animals fight each other to win over a mate.
Let's first state the obvious. Boys will be boys (although there was a clear winner in this fight - an dyes, I think it's staged).
Texas Bucks are known to 'butt heads' during breeding season.
Red winged blackbirds are very territorial and attract mates through their calls and singing. They will also fight you!
I feel like when given the chance, males in social situations (herd, pack, flock, etc.) will compete for their mate. Me? I'll just let the female pick me and if she's anything like a Black Widow or Praying Mantis, I'll just get devoured after.