It's like a jungle sometimes! The Sugar Hill Gang could have been talking about online dating when they penned their greatest hit. Of course, back in the early 1980s the idea of finding a partner via the Internet would have been regarded in the same light as taking a day trip to the moon; twenty plus years on and strolling around Copernicus for the afternoon is still the stuff of fantasy, but finding the perfect match on the Internet is something that more and more of us are doing.
Out there in the online jungle are a great many different creatures, all of whom make their respective ways down to the watering hole with their own aims in mind. Some come merely to socialise, to chew the fat with the other denizens of this fertile environment, rub shoulders with the great and the tiny, hear the latest gossip on the bush telegraph and keep abreast of recent goings on; others come to prowl, surveying the ranks of assorted beasts, picking the choicest morsels to feast their eyes upon (or more)! Still more come in hope of something less tangible, they come seeking companionship from creatures like themselves; a life partner to raise a brood with or share a nest.
So, what kind of dating creature are you? We identified a few of the inhabitants of the dating jungle below:
With their long legs and lurid pink plumage; the flamingos come down to the watering hole to preen, flirt and catch tiny krill. The slightest noise or sudden move and they take to the air, startled. Flamingos in the world of online singles are equally skittish; they upload pictures of themselves so that they can be admired, preening in the water, thriving on compliments they snap up like so much krill. These flamingos will take to the wing at the slightest mention of meeting, or taking things to a more serious level.
Howler monkeys are the jungle's gossips; rampantly sociable, they come to the water to meet and chatter, to groom and to reinforce their social bonds. Howler monkey dating site users are often looking for friends to chat and gossip with. They tend to use the sites very regularly and sometimes for hours on end, chatting to new friends and adding to their favourites lists. This can be a great way to use dating sites for people who have just moved to a new town or city, or who find it difficult to meet people because of work constraints.
And then the lion – the self-styled King of the Jungle may have a mighty roar but is actually quite a timid creature, shying away from large groups of prey, preferring to circle silently and pick the perfect target. These types of daters will often view your profile six or seven times before sending you a hello; they like to make sure of what they're getting as lions don't like to waste energy. Of course when they do make their choice this skilled hunter's charms can often prove hard to resist!
So flamingo, monkey or lion; whatever type of dating creature you are have fun, be safe and remember – it's a jungle out there!