1 of 1 study tracks sexual behavior between animals of the same sex Photo: freepik Study tracks sexual behavior between animals of the same sex Photo: freepik
A study published this Tuesday in the journal “Nature Communications” indicates that the sexual relationship between animals of the same sex It can be a strategy for building and maintaining social bonds and even mitigating conflict.
Scientists have focused on analyzing people’s behavior 261 mammal speciesbut sexual life between animals of the same sex has already been reported 1.5 thousand speciesfrom invertebrates (such as spiders and insects) to vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds, as well as the mammals that were the subject of the research).
In the new study, which found the behavior is widespread in nonhuman primates, from lemurs to monkeys, scientists show:
- Sexual behavior occurred in both males and females (whether in captivity or in the wild).
- Samesex relationships have been found in 261 mammal species.
- Behavior includes: courtship, genital contact, copulation and pair bonding.
- Detection occurred more frequently in adults than in young animals.
- Sexual activity between animals of the same sex can help mammals establish and maintain social relationships and even mitigate conflict.
The authors researched the literature to compile a database and find out which social species are most likely to exhibit this type of behavior, suggesting that it can help maintain “peace” in the community, with positive social relationships to boot to form bonds and alliances, and helps reduce aggression and intrasexual conflict.
“Examples include bonobos, chimpanzees, bighorn sheep, lions, wolves and several wild goat species,” the study says.
They also reported that sexual behavior was prevalent in both men and women, but in men it was more likely to develop where adults kill each other and may be an adaptation to control violence between them acts.
The study may have some limitations “due to the lack of information about the sexual behavior of many mammalian species and the presence of incomplete data (false negative results).”