While the female of the species is known for having to go through the hardship of childbirth – a painful and sometimes deadly process – males of the animal kingdom haven't got away scot-free.
Some endure weird and downright tragic fates in the evolutionary process. From sexual cannibalism, having to fight for a mate and performing risky mating rituals, here are 10 examples that’ll make you glad to be human.
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Male animals with the worst lives
1 Antechinus
Antechinuses have one of the most intense mating rituals in the animal kingdom. They are small marsupials that live in Australia who mate at the same year every year over a period of two weeks during winter. When the male antechinus is 11 months old, he becomes more muscular, but the corticosteroid he produces puts a huge stress on the body, which ultimately kills him through organ failure, haemorrhaging and immune system collapse. At the end of the breeding season every single male drops dead.
2 Anglerfish
Male anglerfish are tiny compared to females, and they live their life in a pretty uneventful way. After often having to compete with multiple males, they bite into a chosen female and fuse their body to hers. While the female continues to swim and hunt, the male loses independence, their bloodstreams eventually merging. The male no longer needs his eyes, which drop off. Sustained by her body, he exists solely to provide sperm.
3 Tent cobweb weaver (Tidarren sisyphoides)
This tiny spider has a terrible time when it comes to reproduction. The males have two huge pedipals (sex organs), each accounting for 10 per cent of its bodyweight.
They hinder movement, so in the quest for a mate it has to rip off one to become more agile. The plight doesn't end there – when it finally does mate, it dies during insertion and stays attached to the female for more than two hours.
4 Mantis
While not all of the species of mantis display sexual cannibalism, some do, including the European (Mantis religiosa), false garden (Pseudomantis albofimbriata) and South African (Miomantis caffra) mantis. The female is larger with more armour, and after attracting her partner with her scent, she attacks, consuming his head first. Remarkably, while she dines, the male is still able to position and latch onto her. He can continue to mate for several hours before eventually dying. The female now has a good amount of protein to produce lots of eggs.
5 Drone bee
Despite being slightly larger than worker bees, it's clear drone bees are at the bottom of the bee hierarchy. They live short lives with one purpose – to mate with a queen. If successful, it’s fatal, as their reproductive organs tear away, killing them. Unsuccessful drones are eventually pushed out of the hive at the end of the summer to save food for the queen and workers. They die from starvation or hypothermia.
6 Black rhino
Black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) fiercely compete over females, and are thought to have the highest rate of mortal combat among mammals. Around 50% of males die from combat-related wounds and the fights pose a significant threat to rhino conservation, depleting the already small populations. There's no time to rest once the female has accepted a mate, however. Foreplay is intense and can include wrestling and fighting, biting and butting each other before copulation. Eventually, the male is able to mount the female, but it's no mean feat – copulation lasts for half an hour or more
7 Emporer penguins
While most of us enjoy a good feed, male emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) endure one of nature’s harshest trials. After females lay a single egg, they depart to hunt and feed, leaving males to incubate it. The males have to fast for up to two months though the grueling Antarctica winter. During this time, they can lose up to half their body weight, all while balancing the fragile egg on their feet to ensure the chick’s survival.
8 Redback spiders
When mating, the male redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) can often get eaten by the female – but it's not always against his will. Sometimes he will actually leap onto her fangs, sacrificing himself. It's a ritual called copulatory suicide. The male inserts a parcel of sperm into the female, and the longer the female spends eating the male, the more likely the sperm is to get stored, increasing the chance of his genes being passed on.
9 Octopus
The mating game for both male and female octopuses is harsh, but many males don't even survive the process. In many species, males are much smaller. They use a special arm called a hectocotylus to transfer sperm packets to the female. It's risky business because the female can perceive the male as prey or competition. In some species, especially under stress or hunger, females have been observed attacking and sometimes eating the male after mating.
For females, life isn't hugely more comfy – after focussing all their energy on laying and guarding eggs, most will die shortly after their eggs hatch.
10 Seahorses
Male seahorses face a rare evolutionary burden: they’re the ones that get pregnant. After females deposit eggs into their brood pouch, males fertilise and carry them during the gestation period. They provide oxygen, nutrients, and even control salinity for developing embryos, all while vulnerable to predators.
Main image: Antechinus, Getty Images
