Like many of us, this pretty lady is looking for love online.
Much like the online dating services we humans use (Hooksexup personals, anyone?), animals kept in captivity are matched with potential mates via online "studbooks."
The databases containing information on sex, age and weight — not so much about favorite foods or long walks on the beach — are used by more than 200 zoos nationally and some internationally.
Now, new software has been developed that promises more easily accessible data, faster matches and — taking a page from human dating sites — details on animals personalities to ease what can be a testy process.
Zoos will not be required to document each animal’s turn-ons and turn-offs in the Zoological Information Management System, a collaboration by about 150 zoos and aquariums that is a year or two away from wide distribution.
We think it's a bad idea to exclude the turn-offs. Once we made clear we were looking for bearded dudes who could spell, online dating got a million times easier. However, if a koala finds love online before we do, we're so giving into the Crazy Cat Lady thing.
[NY Times: Seeking Mates for Furred and Clawed]