A “dating app” for zoo populations

Birds do it, bees do it
Even polite fleas do it
Let’s do it, let’s fall in love
– “Let’s Do It” by Cole Porter

Yes, all animals do, including porcupines, which is what this little porcupine was like.

Correspondent Rita Braver said, “I’m still thinking about that old joke, you know, how do prickly pigs make love? Be very careful!”

“In fact, very carefully!” said Kenton Kerns, Small Mammal House curator at the Smithsonian National Zoo. “The male sometimes appears with feathers inside him the next day.”

Kerns says this guy, who hasn’t been named yet, wasn’t by chance. When Mother Beatrix needed a partner, potential father Quilber was sent from another zoo.

Braver asked, “Did they bring Quilber here for the sole purpose of connecting to Beatrix?”

“Exactly,” Kerns said. “He had a good genetic match with Beatrix. He met Beatrix, we did presentations, it went really well.”

So did the introduction of the two-toed sloths Vlad and Athena.

Braver asked, “I noticed that when they moved around, it seemed like she was the one chasing him and not the other way around. Is that typical animal behavior?”

“I think it probably depends on laziness and the couple,” Kenton replied. “In this couple, yes, Athena is always looking for Vlad, and we’ve seen attempts to raise them.”

“They seemed to be kissing, is that possible?”

“We call it a kiss. We don’t really know what’s going on. We see them interacting with the language. We don’t know if it’s a greeting, if it’s affectionate, or if it’s something completely different.”

The zoo expects this couple to produce a healthy baby. In fact, Athena was moved here from a Texas zoo, precisely for this reason: “There’s a whole equation behind who is the best partner for whom, and we combine them, as a dating app. “Kerns said.

That’s right: an animal dating app, like these endangered African penguins that hatch eggs at the Connecticut Mystic Aquarium.

In order to reduce inbreeding, zoos and aquariums across North America have amassed years of detailed records of animal offspring. This data is incorporated into the special software developed by the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and is used to create species survival plans, to show which animals can be safely mated:

Gayle Sirpenski of Mystic Aquarium, coordinator of the African penguin’s survival plan, said: “The better we make these breeding recommendations and the more gene diversity we preserve, the longer these species will be in our zoos and aquariums.”

Of course, as with any dating app, it’s not just what the algorithm says.

Braver asked assistant penguin supervisor Josh Davis, “Do you think there’s something like animal magnetism, that animals should be attracted to each other?”

“I think so, and especially with this species, because they are more of a romantic species,” he replied.

And just like humans, Davis said, new pairs of penguins need a little “sun time”: “Does it work better if we put on a little Barry White and get out of the room? Maybe!”

Braver asked, “Do you ever have situations where you put two penguins together and they just don’t get caught?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of facilities that have had this,” Davis said. “Sometimes it only takes a little longer. But part of preparing them for success is knowing how old these penguins are; are they at that point in their lives looking for a mate?”

And that brings us back to the national zoo and a family of little monkeys known as golden-headed lion tamarins, with a new set of twins. Commissioner Kenton Kerns said it all came about because the zoo used the dating app to find a partner for its shy, withdrawn male, Coco.

“Once Lola got into the picture, she was a completely different monkey,” Kerns said. “Because she would go first and explore, and he would start following. Now, he’s all over the show just like her. He’s still a little nervous, but nothing like he was when he was alone.”

“So, did you find your Valentine?” Braver asked.

“Absolutely!”

For more information:

• Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Washington, DC
• Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, Connecticut.
• ZooRisk (Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago)
• Associate of Zoos and Aquariums

Story produced by David Rothman. Editor: Remington Korper.