There are several contenders for the animals that have the most sex, says Sanjida O’Connell, from rodents to lions.
It’s a hung jury, but several members of the animal kingdom have racked up impressive results when it comes to sex, says Sanjida O’Connell.
- Which animal has the biggest penis? (Hint: it’s probably not what you think)
- Which animal has the biggest testicles? The results might surprise you…
Here are the contenders for the animals that have the most sex.
Which animal has the most sex?
A North African desert rodent, Shaw’s jird was observed mating 224 times in two hours, while giant water bugs are known to mate more than 100 times in 36 hours.
Hamsters can have sex up to 75 times a day, and lions have been known to copulate 157 times in 55 hours.
Female lions are known to mate one hundred times with multiple males during their fertile period. Mating with multiple males, inside and outside the pride, confuses paternity and deters any incoming males from infanticidal behaviour.
On the other end of the scale female giant pandas are very picky about their mates, and have an incredibly short window of fertility (up to 72 hours per year).
- Why do so many organisms have sex?
- 10 things you never knew about animal sex
- Can animals be gay? Homosexual behaviour in animals examined
- How virgin births occur and which species reproduce this way