When watching Out Planet, the Episode on Jungles, I noticed something interesting. There was a ritual where some of the male birds on Borneo cleaned off a plot of land and did a dance to attract mates. This interested me due to the nature of courtship in the animal kingdom. It seems as though, just like with people, many animal males traditionally do the attracting. The lengths that these birds go to attract mates is intense. Not only was the bird notably dogged in his efforts, but the dance he displayed was also exceptionally unique and entertaining to watch. The bird exerted himself to perform it and did so with much precision. The dance was so unique and intriguing that I wondered if it was real or just CGI edited.
Similarly, watching the ant get infected with the parasitic fungus was eye-opening. I audibly noted that I hope that no parasitic organisms like this affect humans. If anyone in the comments can verify this, I would very much appreciate it!
That is such an interesting concept; courtship in the animal kingdom. I would love to dive deeper to further understand why animals do this and why it works in attracting mates. It feels very similar to when a human performs a romantic gesture for another human. I’m not sure if this is a real concept, but if animal psychology is being studied I would be very interested to learn about it.