Copulation Collection

Red Deer -Cervus elaphus-, mating, Jaegersborg, Copenhagen, Denmark

Mating pair of chalkhill blue butterflies (Lysandra coridon) with wings closed resting on Devils-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), Hatch Hill, Somerset, UK. August

SEM of bed bugs
Bed bugs mating. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a pair of bed bugs mating. Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius)are blood sucking insects, so called because they live in the beds of humans

Mating Marginated Tortoises
Mating pair of Marginated Tortoises (Testudo marginata) at their nest burrow in Turkey

Nudibranchs mating
Nudibranchs (Flabellina verrucosa) mating. Nudibranchs are shell-less marine molluscs that live in seas around the world. They have external gills that give the nudibranch its name

An admirer (engraving)
8643476 An admirer (engraving) by Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: An admirer. Illustration for The Humourist by W H Harrison (Ackermann)

Piccadilly Circus - London after dark (colour litho)
8635562 Piccadilly Circus - London after dark (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Piccadilly Circus - London after dark)

The rivals (engraving)
8642720 The rivals (engraving) by Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: The rivals. Illustration for The Humourist by W H Harrison (Ackermann)

A siege (engraving)
8643475 A siege (engraving) by Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: A siege. Illustration for The Humourist by W H Harrison (Ackermann)

Selecting men like hats (litho)
8641408 Selecting men like hats (litho) by Leete, Alfred (1882-1933); Private Collection; (add.info.: Selecting men like hats)

"Distinctions of sex, or rank, or politics, seemed forgotten by the eager crowd that pressed forward to traffic in
8636205 "Distinctions of sex, or rank, or politics, seemed forgotten by the eager crowd that pressed forward to traffic in shares" (engraving) by English School

"I'm waiting to get off!" (colour litho)
8621713 "I'm waiting to get off!" (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: "I'm waiting to get off)

The Old Old Story (colour litho)
8634548 The Old Old Story (colour litho) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Old Old Story)

Humorous cat postcard (colour litho)
8643335 Humorous cat postcard (colour litho) by Thiele, Carl Robert Arthur (1860-1936); Private Collection; (add.info.: Humorous cat postcard)

By the way, what's your name? (colour litho)
8635557 By the way, what's your name? (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: By the way, what's your name? Postcard, early 20th century)

Cameo of Leda and the Swan
BEN119156 Cameo of Leda and the Swan; Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, Campania, Italy; Photo © Raffaello Bencini.

How would you like to be here? (colour litho)
8656545 How would you like to be here? (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: "How would you like to be here?" Woman lying on a barrel)

How to make love (colour litho)
8656553 How to make love (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: How to make love)

Woman celebrating wine and love sitting astride a pig (b/w photo)
8655917 Woman celebrating wine and love sitting astride a pig (b/w photo) by French Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Leda with Jupiter (Zeus) in the form of a swan. Drawing by Niccolo Giolfino (or Golfino)
GIM5037838 Leda with Jupiter (Zeus) in the form of a swan. Drawing by Niccolo Giolfino (or Golfino) known as II Giolfino (or Ursino Veronensis) (1476-1555)

Puzzle: boy or girl - which? (colour litho)
8656425 Puzzle: boy or girl - which? (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Puzzle: boy or girl - which)

Woman clothed in ration coupons, 1918 (colour litho)
8664156 Woman clothed in ration coupons, 1918 (colour litho) by Leonnec, Georges (1881-1940); Private Collection; (add.info.: Woman clothed in ration coupons, World War I, 1918)

Sexual orgasms in men and women (litho)
8657075 Sexual orgasms in men and women (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sexual orgasms in men and women)

Boy or girl? (colour litho)
8656432 Boy or girl? (colour litho) by German School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Boy or girl? Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

Brunelleschi illustration for Contes et Nouvelles de La Fontaine (colour litho)
8646788 Brunelleschi illustration for Contes et Nouvelles de La Fontaine (colour litho) by Brunelleschi, Umberto (1879-1949) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Sexual orgasms in men and women (litho)
8657074 Sexual orgasms in men and women (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sexual orgasms in men and women)

Woman longing for the last leaf of autumn to fall (colour litho)
8656534 Woman longing for the last leaf of autumn to fall (colour litho) by Sager, Xavier (1870-1930); Private Collection; (add.info.: Woman longing for the last leaf of autumn to fall)

Dream images of a lieutenant (colour litho)
8656458 Dream images of a lieutenant (colour litho) by German School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Dream images of a lieutenant. Stomach in - chest out. A row of women soldiers)

Piano. Forte. Fortissimo. Crescendo. Finale (colour litho)
8656427 Piano. Forte. Fortissimo. Crescendo. Finale (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Piano. Forte. Fortissimo. Crescendo. Finale)

Love is blind (litho)
8655894 Love is blind (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Love is blind. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

Brunelleschi illustration for Contes et Nouvelles de La Fontaine (colour litho)
8651089 Brunelleschi illustration for Contes et Nouvelles de La Fontaine (colour litho) by Brunelleschi, Umberto (1879-1949) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

An Episcopal minister in New York almost becomes the victim of blackmail (engraving)
8664230 An Episcopal minister in New York almost becomes the victim of blackmail (engraving) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Almost trapped)

Guess which is me? (colour litho)
8656633 Guess which is me? (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: "Guess which is me?" Legs of men and women flirting at the seaside)

Bed collapsing under a happy couple (colour litho)
8656543 Bed collapsing under a happy couple (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Bed collapsing under a happy couple)

Automatic dispensing machine for lovers (colour litho)
8655886 Automatic dispensing machine for lovers (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Automatic dispensing machine for lovers)

Blindfolded man and a woman in the bedroom (coloured photo)
8655950 Blindfolded man and a woman in the bedroom (coloured photo) by French Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Blindfolded man and a woman in the bedroom)

A Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady (engraving)
8634812 A Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady)

Brunelleschi illustration for Contes et Nouvelles de La Fontaine (colour litho)
8646791 Brunelleschi illustration for Contes et Nouvelles de La Fontaine (colour litho) by Brunelleschi, Umberto (1879-1949) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Every girl knows the height of a man's ambition (colour litho)
8656593 Every girl knows the height of a man's ambition (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Every girl knows the height of a man's ambition)

The censure (colour litho)
8656538 The censure (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: La Censure. The censure. Couple embracing behind a fig leaf)

Couple in a gallery with nude sculptures of women (colour litho)
8656801 Couple in a gallery with nude sculptures of women (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Couple in a gallery with nude sculptures of women)

Maid and a flea (colour litho)
8655949 Maid and a flea (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Maid and a flea. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

View of a mockery of cheaters on a square in Venice, 1759-c.1796. Creators: Louis-Joseph Mondhare, Anon
View of a mockery of cheaters on a square in Venice, 1759-c.1796. Three figures ride donkeys

May: A Hunt, published 1599. Creator: Antonio Tempesta
May: A Hunt, published 1599. From The Twelve Months I, pl. 5

Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) pair mating on lake. Shanghai Zoo, China

Black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) pair performing post-copulatory display (as copulation ends, the male slides off the female leaving his wings draped over her)

White stork (Ciconia ciconia) pair mating on their nest at sunset, Knepp estate, Sussex, UK, April 2019. This is the first recorded instance of White storks nesting in the UK for several hundreds of

European praying mantis female eats male after mating. Spain {Mantis religiosa} Sequence 2 of 3

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"Copulation: A Fascinating Display of Animal Mating Rituals Across the Globe" From the majestic Red Deer in Jaegersborg, Copenhagen, Denmark to the enchanting Mandarin ducks at Shanghai Zoo, China, a natural phenomenon that occurs in various species. Whether it's the captivating mating rituals of Marginated Tortoises or the intricate dance of Nudibranchs, these creatures showcase their primal instincts. In Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, Moor Frogs gather by the Middle Elbe to engage in an elaborate courtship ritual before copulating. Meanwhile, Black-necked stilts perform a mesmerizing post-copulatory display after their union. At Knepp estate in Sussex, White storks mate on their nest against a breathtaking sunset backdrop. However, not all encounters end harmoniously. The European praying mantis female devours her partner after mating—a stark reminder that nature can be both beautiful and brutal. In Pont Du Gau's lagoon within Camargue region lies another spectacle as Greater flamingos come together for an elegant mating session. Even birds like Common goldeneyes from Southern Norway participate in elaborate displays to attract mates. Their vibrant plumage and intricate movements create a stunning visual experience for observers. Beyond animals' realm lies Leda of "Naples Uffizi" type sculpture dating back to 1st/2nd century AD—an artistic representation of human copulation captured forever in marble. Whether it's bed bugs under SEM or creatures found across continents engaging in intimate acts—copulation serves as a testament to life's perpetuation and diversity across our planet.