Couples of the animal kingdom

Out in the wild, animals get into relationships for all kinds of reasons.

Many commit to monogamous relationships, a strong bond to just one other animal. Animals who couple up get many advantages in the wild that serve one goal: Survival.

Here are some species — those groups of organisms that can naturally reproduce with each other — who pick one partner for life.

Beaver

A beaver released is seen in a river in a forest. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Just like for their dams, beavers try hard to maintain long, lasting relationships. With an average life span of 24 years, those monogamous animals spent most of their years designing a strategic home known as a "lodge.“ According to National Geographic, Beavers are the largest rodents in North America, and they also exist across Europe and Asia.

Southern Rockhopper Penguins

Rikki the sole Rockhopper penguin gets his fish as Humboldt penguins line up behind him. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

These tiny penguins — on average just 22 inches tall — mate for life and return to the same nest and the same partner during mating season each year. Native to Antarctica’s Northern Islands, they earn their name as “Rockhoppers” as they jump from rock to rock on the shorelines.

Gibbons

A two-month baby white-handed gibbon clings to the belly of its mother. (Attila Balazs/MTI via AP)

Like humans, all 19 species of Gibbons find mates to reproduce and establish a family. Even without a tail, those creatures spend their lifetimes swinging and leaping on top of Southern Asia’s trees. Similarly to humans, Gibbons live in families where they protect and take care of each other.

Seahorses

A seahorse in a saltwater tank. (Benny Snyder/AP Photo)

These small, unique, underwater creatures are the only species where the male carries offspring until their due date. A male seahorse can hatch 2,000 eggs all at once. However their average life span is 1-5 years. Seahorses, which live for 1 to 5 years on average, are very fragile considering their small size and the variety of factors that can easily kill them. They are one of few sea creatures that are considered monogamous.

Bald eagles

A bald eagle soars over the Cedar River downstream of the roller dam in southwest Cedar Rapids on Feb. 7. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

America’s national bird, the bald eagle is famous for its tendency to live with only one significant other. The birds — not actually bald, by the way, just with heads covered in white feathers — are native to North America, and are concentrated in Alaska and Canada. They have an average life span of 28 years.

Mishka MohamedNour is a student at West High School and an editor, reporter and designer for the West Side Story.