List of animals displaying homosexual behavior

For these animals, there is documented evidence of homosexual 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.

Roy and Silo, two Central Park Zoo male chinstrap penguins similar to those pictured, became internationally known when they successfully hatched and cared for an egg they were given.[1]
Couple of two male mallard ducks in a nature reserve in Germany

Bagemihl writes that the presence of same-sex sexual behavior was not "officially" observed on a large scale until the 1990s due to observer bias caused by social attitudes towards nonheterosexual people, making the homosexual theme taboo.[2][3] 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."[4] Petter Bøckman, academic adviser for the Against Nature? exhibit stated "[M]any researchers have described homosexuality as something altogether different from sex. They must realize that animals can have sex with who they will, when they will and without consideration to a researcher's ethical principles." Homosexual behavior is found amongst social birds and mammals, particularly the sea mammals and the primates.[3]

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 documented in about five hundred species as of 1999, ranging from primates to gut worms.[2][5] Homosexuality in animals is seen as controversial by social conservatives because it asserts the naturalness of homosexuality in humans, while others counter that it has no implications and is nonsensical to equate natural animal behaviors to morality.[6][7] Sexual preference and motivation is always inferred from behavior. Thus homosexual behavior has been given a number of terms over the years. The correct usage of the term homosexual is that an animal exhibits homosexual behavior, however this article conforms to the usage by modern research,[8][9][10][11] applying the term homosexuality to all sexual behavior (copulation, genital stimulation, mating games and sexual display behavior) between animals of the same sex.

Mammals

Selected mammals from the full list

Birds

Selected birds from the full list

Fish

Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) leaping for a fly fisherman's bait. Research going back to the 1950s has shown both male and female graylings exhibit homosexual behavior.[44]

Reptiles

Three species of Aspidoscelis.

The all-female Whiptail lizard species Aspidoscelis neomexicanus (center), which reproduces via parthenogenesis, is shown flanked by two sexual species having males, A. inornatus (left) and A. tigris (right). Research has shown that simulated mating behavior increases fertility for Aspidoscelis neomexicanus. One female lies on top of another, playing the role of the male, the lizard that was on bottom has larger eggs, in most cases. The lizards switch off this role each mating season.[51]

Amphibians

  • Appalachian woodland salamander[58]
  • Black-spotted frog[59]
  • Mountain dusky salamander[58]
  • Tengger desert toad[52]

Insects

The head of a darner dragonfly (Basiaeschna janata).

Male homosexuality has been inferred in several species of dragonflies. A survey of damsel and dragonflies reveals characteristic cloacal pincher mating damage in 20–80 percent of the males, indicating a fairly high occurrence of sexual coupling between males.[60][61]

Male flour beetles engage in same-sex coupling to practice mating and to rid themselves of "old, less effective" sperm.[62]

Other invertebrates

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. Smith (February 7, 2004)
  2. Bagemihl (1999)
  3. News-medical.net (2006)
  4. Bagemihl (1999) page 213
  5. Harrold (1999)
  6. Solimeo (2004)
  7. Solimeo (2004b)
  8. Bagemihl (1999) pages 122-166
  9. Roughgarden (2004) pp.13-183
  10. Vasey (1995) pages 173-204
  11. Sommer & Vasey (2006)
  12. Bagemihl (1999) page 405
  13. Bagemihl (1999) page 441
  14. Bagemihl (1999) page 469
  15. Bagemihl (1999) pages 388,389
  16. Bagemihl 1999) pages 81, 88
  17. Bagemihl (1999) pages 81, 82, 89
  18. de Waal (2001)
  19. Liggett (1997–2006)
  20. Imaginova (2007j)
  21. Bagemihl (1999) pages 276–279
  22. Bagemihl (1999) page 339
  23. Bagemihl (1999) page 334
  24. Bagemihl (1999) pages 310, 314
  25. Bagemihl (1999) page 427
  26. Bagemihl (1999) pages 218, 231, 317
  27. Bagemihl (1999) page 391
  28. Imaginova (2007d)
  29. Bagemihl (1999) pages 81, 165, 205, 226, 231
  30. Bagemihl (1999) page 432
  31. Sell RL, Wells JA, Wypij D (June 1995). "The prevalence of homosexual behavior and attraction in the United States, the United Kingdom and France: results of national population-based samples". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 24 (3): 235–48. doi:10.1007/BF01541598. PMID 7611844. S2CID 12929812.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  32. Wellings, K., Field, J., Johnson, A., & Wadsworth, J. (1994). Sexual behavior in Britain: The national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles. London, UK: Penguin Books.
  33. Bagemihl (1999) page 455-457
  34. Bagemihl (1999) page 448
  35. Bagemihl (1999) pages 632-5
  36. Bagemihl (1999) pages 83
  37. Bagemihl (1999) pages 544-8
  38. Bagemihl (1999) page 621-6
  39. Bagemihl (1999) pages 602-5
  40. 365 Gay.com (2005)
  41. Bagemihl (1999) pages 491-5
  42. Bagemihl (1999) pages 606-10
  43. Bagemihl (1999) page 639
  44. Bagemihl (1999), page 665
  45. Bagemihl (1999), page 37
  46. Bagemihl (1999), pages 658, 664
  47. Bagemihl (1999), page 658
  48. Bagemihl (1999), page 664
  49. Bagemihl (1999), pages 658, 665
  50. Bagemihl (1999), pages 232, 233, 244
  51. LeVay, (19 September 2007)
  52. Bagemihl (1999), page 657
  53. Bagemihl (1999), page 657, 658
  54. Budzinski, R.-M. (1997) Homosexuelles Verhalten bei Geckos der Gattung Phelsuma. Sauria 19 (3): 33-34
  55. Bagemihl (1999), pages 232, 664
  56. Bagemihl (1999), pages 663–664
  57. Turns out this 186-year-old tortoise has a gay lover
  58. Bagemihl (1999), pages 657, 658
  59. Bagemihl (1999), pages 243, 664
  60. Dunkle (1991)
  61. Utzeri (1990)
  62. Out magazine, By The Numbers sourced to the Journal of Evolutionary Biology; February 2009. Accessed 2009-01-17.
  63. Bagemihl (1999), page 666
  64. Tatarnic1 et al., 22 March 2006
  65. Bagemihl (1999) page 660
  66. Bagemihl (1999) page 667
  67. Bagemihl (1999) pages 704, 713
  68. Bagemihl (1999) pages 150, 232, 236, 246
  69. Bagemihl (1999) pages 33–34, 196, 217, 219, 232
  70. Bagemihl (1999) page 668
  71. Bagemihl (1999) page 666
  72. Bagemihl (1999) page 595
  73. Bagemihl (1999) pages 9, 649, 665
  74. Bagemihl (1999) page 658
  75. Bagemihl (1999) page 3
  76. Kureck, I. M.; Neumann, A.; Foitzik, S. (2011). "Wingless ant males adjust mate-guarding behaviour to the competitive situation in the nest". Animal Behaviour. 82 (2): 339–346. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.05.008. S2CID 53164955.
  77. Bagemihl (1999) page 232
  78. Bagemihl (1999) pages 666, 660
  79. Bagemihl (1999) pages 661–2
  80. Bagemihl (1999) page 661
  81. Bagemihl (1999), pages 661–2
  82. Bagemihl (1999), page 659
  83. Bagemihl (1999), page 661
  84. Zimmer (2000)
  85. Bagemihl (1999) page 657
  86. Bagemihl (1999) pages 236, 704, 713
  87. Bagemihl (1999), pages 668, 667
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.