LOVE IS IN THE AIR.

Yes, it's February the 14th and we all know what that means - it's VALENTINE'S DAY, the day when many feel obliged to say I love you with overpriced cards and  flowers, fattening chocolates, and stuffed toys bearing the words 'horny devil' or such like. And that's only for her. For him, there are the obligatory novelty socks or boxer shorts with heart or lipstick coated lip shaped designs.

But what about the rest of the animal kingdom? What tricks do they employ to attract a mate?

A new exhibition at London's Natural History Museum reveals the lengths animals will go to in order to attract a partner and it seems that some of them are not above giving presents.

Male amazonian river dolphins present bouquets of water weed to females as part of their courtship  whilst male dance flies present females with gifts of chocolates prey wrapped in silk.

And the way to a female adelie penguin's heart is gifts of pebbles which she then uses to build a nest to lay eggs in - not so romantic then, it's almost like Husband dearest giving me an ironing-board cover or something just as practical.

And talking of Hd, what about couples who have been together a long time? Look no further than the Great crested grebe who exchange gifts of food throughout their life-long relationships - and not just on February the 14th.

It's not just about the giving of flowers and food though - music is another means for putting us in the mood and it's not just reserved for us homo sapiens. It seems that the male haddock serenades females by humming to them whilst the club winged manakin rubs together specially adapted feathers which vibrate making a sound not unlike a violin.

What? You don't want a bouquet of weeds OR a pebble AND you don't like the sound of violins? How about perfume?

Smell is among the most powerful senses. Female emperor moths release chemicals which the male can detect from several miles away (not good when this is aftershave) with their furry antennae, homing in on the source by detecting from which direction it is strongest whilst male porcupines spray their love interest with urine (urgh, yuk) in a bid to attract them and get them in the mood for love.

Going back to music, I put romantic songs in a search engine and the singer BARRY WHITE came up several times so I give you ...........

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY