Some animals have complex mating rituals before they copulate.
the time of year when deer in the wild are likely to copulate
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And finally, wouldn’t being near-perfectly still for an hour make a pair of copulating octopuses ridiculously exposed to predators?—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2026 Maybe she is beset by need to copulate, by the desire of the eggs inside her for their own plot of land.—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026 In November 1995, Funston took a 5-year-old boy into some bushes, pulled down his pants and orally copulated him, prosecutors said.—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026 After copulating, the two males lay immobile on the seafloor as the female swam away.—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for copulate
Word History
Etymology
Latin copulatus, past participle of copulare to join, from copula — see copula