List of non-human animals displaying homosexual behavior

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Giraffes in Kenya; giraffes have been called "especially gay" for often engaging in same-sex sexual behavior more than male-female (heterosexual) sex.^[1][2]

This list includes animals (birds, mammals, insects, fish, etc.) for which there is documented evidence of homosexual or transgender behavior of one or more of the following kinds: sex, courtship, affection, pair bonding, or parenting, as noted in researcher and author Bruce Bagemihl's 1999 book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity.

Bagemihl writes that the presence of same-sex sexual behavior was not 'officially' observed on a large scale until the 1990s due to possible observer bias caused by social attitudes towards LGBT people making the homosexual theme taboo.^[3][4] Bagemihl devotes three chapters; Two Hundred Years at Looking at Homosexual Wildlife, Explaining (Away) Animal Homosexuality and Not For Breeding Only in his 1999 book Biological Exuberance to the "documentation of systematic prejudices" where he notes "the present ignorance of biology lies precisely in its single-minded attempt to find reproductive (or other) "explanations" for homosexuality, transgender, and non-procreative and alternative heterosexualities.^[5] Petter Bøckman, academic adviser for the Against Nature? exhibit states

"[M]any researchers have described homosexuality as something altogether different from sex. They must realise that animals can have sex with who they will, when they will and without consideration to a researcher's ethical principles".

Homosexual behavior is widespread amongst social birds and mammals, particularly the sea mammals and the primates.^[4]

"No species has been found in which homosexual behaviour has not been shown to exist, with the exception of species that never have sex at all, such as sea urchins and aphis. Moreover, a part of the animal kingdom is hermaphroditic, truly bisexual. For them, homosexuality is not an issue."

—Petter Bøckman^[4]

Animal sexual behavior takes many different forms, even within the same species and the motivations for and implications of their behaviors have yet to be fully understood. Bagemihl's research shows that homosexual behavior, not necessarily sex, has been observed in close to 1500 species, ranging from primates to gut worms, and is well documented for 500 of them.^[6][7]

Homosexuality in animals is seen as controversial because some assert it points to the naturalness of homosexuality in humans, while others counter that it has no implications and is nonsensical to use animal behavior to justify what is or is not immoral.^[8][9] Animal preference and motivation is always inferred from behaviour. Thus homosexual behaviour has been given a number of terms over the years. The correct usage of the term homosexual is that an animal exhibits homosexual behaviour, however this article conforms to the usage by modern research^{[10][11][12][13]} applying the term homosexuality to all sexual behaviour (copulation, genital stimulation, mating games and sexual display behaviour) between animals of the same sex.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness.

Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

This list is part of a larger list of animals displaying homosexual behavior.

See also: List of birds displaying homosexual behavior

[edit] Selected images

Male bonnet macaques, similar to the youthful ones pictured, "give each other hand-jobs and sometimes eat the resulting semen"[1] although using "hand-job" can be seen as overly anthropomorphic.[14]

Kobus kob (Uganda Kob)."Female kob perform oral sex on each other and even stroke each other's vulvas with their forelegs. They're also into watersports during sex, one female will urinate while the other sticks her nose in the stream."[1][15]

"Elevated levels of testosterone in utero"[16] increases aggressiveness and both male and female spotted hyenas mount submissive same-sex members who likely have lower levels of testosterone from their mothers.[16][17][18]

In "slip-and-slide" orgies, groups of male grey whales, one of the oldest species of mammals, roll in the ocean rubbing their bellies against each other so that their genitals are touching.[19][20]

[edit] Mammals