Mating 357632 220736585 2008-06-21T09:43:55Z Victor falk 418835 {{see also|Sexual intercourse}} {{see also|Sexual intercourse}} [[Image:Tortoise mating.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Tortoises]] mating]] [[Image:Borboleta px cp Sta crz 040206 D.JPG|thumb|''Chlosyne lacinia'' butterflies mating on a flower.]] In [[biology]], '''mating''' is the pairing of opposite-[[sex]] or [[hermaphrodite|hermaphroditic]] [[internal fertilization]] [[animal]]s for copulation and, in [[social animal]]s, also to raise their [[offspring]]. Mating methods include [[random mating]], [[disassortative mating]], [[assortative mating]], or a [[mating pool]]. In some birds, for example, it includes [[nest]]-building and [[nutrition|feed]]ing offspring. The human practice of making [[domestication|domesticated]] animals mate and of [[artificial insemination|artificially inseminating]] them is part of [[animal husbandry]]. '''Copulation''' is the union of the [[sex organ]]s of two [[sexual reproduction|sexually reproducing]] animals for [[insemination]] and subsequent [[internal fertilization]]. The two individuals may be of opposite sexes or [[hermaphrodite|hermaphroditic]], as is the case with, for example, [[snail]]s. In some [[Terrestrial animal|terrestrial]] [[arthropod]]s, including [[insect]]s representing [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] (primitive) [[phylogeny|phylogenetic]] clades, the male deposits [[spermatozoon|spermatozoa]] on the substrate, sometimes stored within a special structure, and [[courtship]] involves inducing the female to take up the sperm package into her genital opening; there is no actual copulation. In groups such as [[dragonflies]] and many [[spider]]s, males extrude sperm into secondary copulatory structures removed from their genital opening, which are then used to inseminate the female (in dragonflies, it is a set of modified [[sternite]]s on the second abdominal segment; in spiders, it is the male [[pedipalp]]s). In advanced groups of insects, the male uses its [[aedeagus]], a structure formed from the terminal segments of the abdomen, to deposit sperm directly (though sometimes in a capsule called a "[[spermatophore]]") into the female's reproductive tract. Many other animals reproduce sexually with external fertilization, including many [[primitive (biology)|basal]] [[vertebrate]]s. Many vertebrates (such as [[reptile]]s, some [[fish]], and most [[bird]]s) reproduce with internal fertilization through [[cloaca]]l copulation (see also [[hemipenis]]), while [[mammal]]s copulate [[vagina]]lly. {{See also|Animal sexuality}} In [[human]]s, unlike most animals,{{Fact|date=April 2008}} copulation may or may not be related to reproduction. In most cases people copulate for pleasure; this behaviour is also seen in some animal species, for example [[chimpanzee]]s and especially [[bonobo#sexual social behavior|bonobo]]s are known to copulate when the female is not fertile, presumably for pleasure, which in turn strengthens social bonds. See also [[sexual intercourse]] and [[human sexual behavior]]. {{See also|Human sexuality}} Like in animals, mating in other eukaryotes, such as [[plant]]s and [[fungus|fungi]], denotes sexual conjugation. However, in vascular plants this is mostly achieved without physical contact between mating individuals (see [[pollination]]), and in some cases, e.g., in fungi no distinguishable male or female organs exist (see [[isogamy]]); however, [[mating type]]s in some fungal species are somewhat analogous to [[sexual dimorphism]] in animals, and determine whether or not two individual isolates can mate. {{See also|Plant sexuality}} ==See also== {{Commons|Animal sex}} {{Col-begin}} {{Col-1-of-2}} ;General: *[[Animal husbandry]] *[[Animal sexuality]] *[[Biological attraction]] *[[Evolution of sex]] *[[Lordosis behavior]] *[[Mating system]] *[[Reproduction]] *[[Sexual arousal]] *[[sexual conflict]] *[[Sex determination system]] *[[Heterosexuality]] {{Col-2-of-2}} ;Species specific: *[[Canine reproduction]] *[[Dog breeding]] *[[Horse breeding]] *[[Sheep husbandry]] {{Col-end}} ==External links== *[http://tidepool.st.usm.edu/crswr/103animalreproduction.html Introduction to Animal Reproduction] *[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/advantage/ Advantages of Sexual Reproduction] [[nan:Kau-phòe]] [[Category:Reproduction]] [[Category:Sexuality]] [[Category:Ethology]] [[Category:Developmental biology]] [[Category:Mating|*]] [[cs:Kopulace]] [[da:Parring]] [[de:Begattung]] [[et:Kopulatsioon]] [[es:Copulación]] [[eo:Kopulacio]] [[fa:جفت‌گیری]] [[ilo:Yot]] [[id:Kopulasi]] [[he:הזדווגות]] [[jbo:gletu]] [[mk:Копулација]] [[ja:交尾]] [[no:Paring]] [[pl:Kopulacja]] [[pt:Acasalamento]] [[sk:Kopulácia (párenie)]] [[sl:Parjenje]] [[sv:Parning]] [[uk:Копуляція]] [[zh:交配]]