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Nursery web spiders -

When a male nursery web spider is looking to woo a female, he will often give her a bundle of prey wrapped in silk. If he's particularly thoughtful, he will add some extra chemicals to make it more attractive.

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Nursery web spiders -

Scientists believe that female nursery web spiders are drawn in by the silky gift mainly because it resembles their egg sacs.

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Nursery web spiders -

Occasionally, males will attempt to trick females and wrap up some low-quality prey, or even something half-eaten. Then, while she is unwrapping the gift, he will mate with her and run off before she realizes.

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Eurasian jays -

Eurasian jays are believed to give one another gifts simply for enjoyment, rather than because they think they will get something out of it.

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Eurasian jays -

Eurasian jays have been observed giving each other small bits of prey, such as moths and worms. Scientists believe that they have something called "theory of mind."

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Eurasian jays -

A bird that has theory of mind is able to see a situation from another bird's perspective. It is what allows one Eurasian jay to know what another will appreciate as a gift.

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Six-spot burnet moths -

Six-spot burnet moths produce their own cyanide to use as a defense mechanism, and scientists believe that during mating the male gifts some of his cyanide to the female.

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Six-spot burnet moths -

Indeed, cyanide levels have been shown to go down in males and up in females after mating. It is thought the chemical is transferred through the sperm.

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Six-spot burnet moths -

Once the eggs are laid, the mother will regift some of the cyanide to her offspring, giving them a strong defense mechanism and a better chance at survival.

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Bonobos -

Most animals that give one another gifts do so in the context of courtship. Bonobos are unusual in the sense that they have a habit of giving gifts to strangers.

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Bonobos -

This may seem surprising, since bonobos have a reputation for being one the species most obsessed with procreation. However, they also love making friends.

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Bonobos -

If it means that they will get to hang out with bonobos from another group, these close relatives of ours will give a piece of food to just about any bonobo.

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Penguins - In perhaps the most famous example of gift-giving in the animal kingdom, male penguins of various species give pebbles to the females as a token of their affection.

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Penguins -

Pebbles can be quite hard to come by in Antarctica, and often the male penguins will have to spend quite some time looking for the perfect gift.

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Penguins -

Since penguins use stones to build their nests, when a female receives a pebble, she essentially understands it as a proposal to build a home together.

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Humpback dolphins - When it comes to attracting potential mates, male humpback dolphins have a number of tactics they deploy, such as playing tunes from their blowholes.

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Humpback dolphins - Another, admittedly bizarre, favorite is diving to the ocean floor and retrieving a sponge to give to the female in question. Usually the male will toss the sponge around a bit, or even wear it as a hat, before presenting it to her.

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Humpback dolphins -

Researchers believe that by gifting an ocean sponge to a potential mate, male humpback dolphins are aiming to show their superiority, as ocean sponges are very difficult to dislodge from the ocean floor.

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Great grey shrikes -

These little robin-like birds may look unassuming and innocent, but don't be fooled by their cuteness: they are vicious birds of prey.

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Great grey shrikes -

Rather than preying on worms or berries like other birds its size, the great grey shrike preys on small animals, such as mice and frogs, and impales them on sticks.

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Great grey shrikes -

The so-called 'butcher bird' then uses the skewers to impress potential mates, before offering them up as a gift during courtship.

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Dance fly -

The dance fly, otherwise known as the dagger fly, is another species that makes use of silk to impress potential mates. Rather than using it as wrapping paper, however, dance flies use it to weave balloons.

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Dance fly -

There are over 700 different species of dance fly, most of which use either saliva or silk to weave balloons made of tiny bubbles. They then present these to their love interests.

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Dance fly -

Interestingly, the dance flies with the most to offer (that is, the largest prey) weave the smallest balloons, while the flies with the least to offer weave larger balloons, often dotted with bits of food.

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Kingfishers -

Kingfishers prey on, you guessed it, fish. As a general rule, they swallow their prey headfirst, since this is better for swallowing and digestion.

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Kingfishers -

During mating season, however, kingfishers will hold the fish backward. When they open their beaks, they can then impress a female with a fish staring them in the face.

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Kingfishers -

Experts believe that within the kingfisher species, it is the males who do the majority of the hunting, while the females preserve their energy for laying eggs.

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Crows -

Last but certainly not least we have crows, which, quite astonishingly, have been observed giving gifts not to one another, but to humans.

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Crows -

In all documented cases of crows giving gifts, the recipients have been people who helped them in one way or another (usually by providing food). Items that crows have given as gifts include buttons, screws, and small bits of jewelry.

Sources: (BBC) (Times of India) (Listverse)

See also: Precious penguin facts that will melt your heart

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