Animals have been known to exhibit a wide diversity of sexual behaviours, and interactions between members of the same sex are not uncommon. In the past, the existence of non-exclusively ‘heterosexual’ behaviours in animals has been used to justify their existence in humans. Nevertheless, the topic of same-sex behaviour in animals, and how such behaviours may have come to evolve is a fascinating one.
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According to BBC Wildlife Magazine, terms like ‘gay’ or ‘heterosexual’ may not be the best to use when describing sexual behaviours in animals. We should be wary of over-anthropomorphising and conflating something as complex as a human sexual orientation with observed behaviours in other animals.
Same-sex sexual behaviour is often viewed as a ‘Darwinian paradox’ by scientists. This is because it is considered contrary to Darwin’s theory of evolution, which tells us that genes or traits that do not provide a survival or reproduction benefit should not persist.
Same-sex relations are considered to be detrimental to reproductive fitness because they cannot result in offspring. Because of this, animal ‘homosexuality’ has often been ignored, or else scientists have endeavoured to find various adaptive benefits to explain its existence.
Even birds can be homosexual (Source: Freepik)
Here are some species that exhibit same-sex behaviour:
Bonobos
Bonobos are a sister species to chimpanzees, and as such are among our closest animal relatives. In bonobos sexual contact, like genital rubbing, is used to greet friends, de-escalate conflicts, and cement relationships, and they seemingly do not discriminate based on sex, with female-female and male-male pairings common. Individuals do not appear to conform to a particular orientation, however. They are also promiscuous rather than monogamous, having many short-term pairings.
Japanese macaques
Females of this species will routinely pair off with other females, forming temporary but exclusive sexual relationships known as ‘consortships’, which involve courtship behaviours as well as sexual contact. They will even compete with males for same-sex partners and choose a female partner even when given a direct choice with a male alternative.
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Birds
Same-sex sexual behaviour is very much not limited to primates. Some of the most famous examples have been found in birds. One pair of male chinstrap penguins at Central Park Zoo, Roy and Silo, became celebrities when they attempted to incubate an egg together and later successfully reared an adopted chick.
Same-sex parenting has also been observed in snow geese, where females pair up to raise the offspring of both, and in black swans, in which an estimated one-quarter of all pairings are male-male.
