mating bite

English

Noun

mating bite (plural mating bites)

1. (zoology) A bite performed during copulation in certain species.
   • 1997, Harry W. Greene, Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature‎^[1], page 127:

     Differences in courtship behavior among higher taxa include use of the spurs by male pythons and boas, mating bites by some colubrids, […]

   • 2004, Mark Carwardine, Shark‎^[2], page 63:

     Most of the wounds inflicted by these mating bites heal fairly quickly, but sometimes they can be quite severe.

   • 2017, Jose I. Castro, The Sharks of North America‎^[3], page 436:

     Females bearing mating bites are seen from early May to early August, with the majority seen in May.

2. (fiction) In speculative erotica, a bite given by one person to another to form a permanent bond, typically leaving a scar or mark.
   • 2017, Cynthia Eden, Forbidden Bite, unnumbered page:

     “When the mating bites are exchanged, the two souls link. Then the werewolf can live as long as his vampire mate.”

   • 2019, Tessa Barone, "Just Go Find Yourself a Nice Alpha: Gender and Consent in Supernatural Fandom's Alpha/Beta/Omega Universe", thesis submitted to Oregon State University, page 10:

     Once mated with another character, characters have the option of performing the “mating bite,” which irreversibly bonds the lovers to one another.

   • 2021, Marcy Jacks, Mating for Convenience‎^[4], page 36:

     He sucked a hickey along the side of Ash's throat, right where his mating bite would soon go.

Synonyms

• (fiction): claiming bite, claiming mark, mating mark