-
Asked by hursl006 to Edd on 17 Jun 2011.
Question: can animals be gay or lesbian?
- Keywords:
-
Edward Codling answered on 17 Jun 2011:
Yes they can!
We answered a very similar question here:
/ecologyj11-zone/2011/06/why-do-people-get-attracted-to-the-same-sexExamples of gay animals include giraffes, elephants, penguin, lizards and loads more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animalsWhy they do this is something of a mystery but it could be to do with an imbalance in the amount of males/females or as a strategy to help the young of other animals in the group (by not breeding themselves).
Comments
hursl006 commented on :
how do they have sex?
Zara commented on :
According to an exhibition on homosexuality animals that I went to in Sweden, there is a species of dolphin in which males will have sex with other males by penetrating the blow hole! Anal penetration has also been described in many animals. Homosexual behaviour may not always involve full sex, but just genital stimulation e.g. rubbing the scrotum, as seen in bonobos (which are small chimpanzees).
Homosexuality seems to be used by animals to form bonds and also solve conflicts. It can even occur between DIFFERENT species! Also at the exhibition, I read that bottlenose dolphins and spotted dolphins that are enaged in a fight, will sometimes have sex with each other to resolve the conflict! It adds a whole new meaning to the saying “Make love, not war!”
I’m going to look for the photos I took at the exhibition, some of the things I saw were fascinating!