Nature Features

Romantic moray eels

The newest resident of the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham may be an ugly brute, but big lady frog fish can be reassured that they don't need to slim down to impress this funny Valentine.

Flirty frogfish

"In the wild female frog fish (or Anglers as they're also known) will blow up like a balloon with up to 180 000 eggs.  The male will follow her around and nudge her to the surface where spawning takes place" explains Sea Life Curator Graham Burrows.    

The arrival of this funny valentine has got the staff at the centre thinking about other fishy flirtations and it seems frog fish aren't the only romantic heroes.  

Frogfish

King of love

"A king crab or a blue crab, for example, will gently cradle his mate beneath him and carry her round for maybe three days before they get it together," said Sea Life marine expert Graham Burrows.

"His reward is a coupling that lasts anything between five and eleven hours."

The reason for this strange rite is that females need to moult their hard shell before mating is possible.

The male is therefore guarding her while she is most vulnerable, and he goes on carrying her after the act until her new shell has hardened and she can safely go her own way.

"He may be a bit of a hard-case, but the male crab is no 'love 'em and leave 'em scoundrel," said Graham.

Eely affectionate

Moray eels are better known for their razor sharp teeth than their romantic nature, but actually they are among the most affectionate of sea creatures.

"They are quite shy, and their courtship is not often witnessed," said Graham, "but those who have seen it describe a very moving scene in which they weave from side to side facing each other with mouths wide open before coiling their bodies together in a loving embrace."