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{{Short description|Sexual behavior of non-human animals}}
{{Hatnote|This article is about the sexual behaviour of non-human animals; see also ] and ].}}
{{About|the sexual behavior of nonhuman animals|human sexual behavior|Human sexual activity|and|Human sexuality|other uses|Animal sex (disambiguation)}}
{{Ethology}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
'''Animal sexual behaviour''' takes many different forms, even within the same ]. Among ]s, researchers have observed ], ], ], ] or places, ], ], ], ], ] sexual behaviour, ], and a range of other practices. Related studies have noted diversity in ]ed-bodies and ]ed behaviour  – ] and ] animals.
] mating in a zoo]]{{Sexual orientation}}
] fighting while competing for females—a common sexual behavior]]
]. 1. Caruncles 2. Snood 3. Wattle (dewlap) 4. Major caruncle 5. Beard. During sexual behavior, these structures enlarge or become brightly colored.]]
'''Animal sexual behaviour''' takes many different forms, including within the same ]. Common ] or ] motivated systems include ], ], ], ] and ]. Other sexual behaviour may be reproductively motivated (e.g. ] and ]) or ] (e.g. ], ] sexual behaviour, ], ], ], etc.).


When animal sexual behaviour is ]-driven, it is often termed '']'' or '']''; for most non-human ]s, mating and copulation occur at the point of ] (the most fertile period of time in the female's reproductive cycle), which increases the chances of ].<ref name="Kent">{{Cite book| author =Michael Kent| title = Advanced biology| isbn = 0199141959, 9780199141951 | publisher = ] | year = 2000 |pages =230-253|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8aw4ZWLABQkC&pg=PA250&dq=Within+the+breeding+season,+a+female+mammal+goes+through+a+cycle+which+includes+a+period+of+heightened+sexual+activity+%28called+oestrus+or+%27being+on+heat%27%29+when+she+becomes+sexually+receptive+and+attractive+to+males.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FuRpUfW4BsrCyQGXyYBw&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Within%20the%20breeding%20season%2C%20a%20female%20mammal%20goes%20through%20a%20cycle%20which%20includes%20a%20period%20of%20heightened%20sexual%20activity%20%28called%20oestrus%20or%20%27being%20on%20heat%27%29%20when%20she%20becomes%20sexually%20receptive%20and%20attractive%20to%20males.&f=false}}</ref><ref name="Thorpe">{{Cite book| authors = Showick Thorpe, Edgar Thorpe | title = The Pearson General Studies Manual 2009, 1/e | publisher = ]| year = 2009 |page = page 17 (xvii)| isbn = 8131721337, 9788131721339|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oAo1X2eagywC&pg=RA1-PR17&dq=Most+animals+show+definite+cycles+in+reproductive+activity,+often+related+to+changing+seasons.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=swVqUaHbEsqWywHNsIDgBQ&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Most%20animals%20show%20definite%20cycles%20in%20reproductive%20activity%2C%20often%20related%20to%20changing%20seasons.&f=false}}</ref> However, the study of animal sexuality (especially ]) is a rapidly developing field. While it used to be believed that only humans and a handful of other species performed sexual acts other than for reproduction, and that animals' sexuality was instinctive and a simple response to the "right" stimulation (sight, scent), current understanding is that many species that were formerly believed to be monogamous are promiscuous or opportunistic in nature; a wide range of species appear both to ] and to use objects as ]s to help them do so; in many species, animals try to give and get ] with others where reproduction is not the focus, and homosexual behaviour has been observed among 1,500 species, with 500 of those being well-documented.<ref name="news-medical">{{cite web When animal sexual behaviour is reproductively motivated, it is often termed ''mating'' or '']''; for most non-human ]s, mating and copulation occur at ] (the most fertile period in the mammalian female's reproductive cycle), which increases the chances of ].<ref name="Kent">{{Cite book |author= Kent, Michael |title= Advanced biology |isbn= 978-0-19-914195-1 |publisher= ] |year= 2000 |pages= 250–253 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8aw4ZWLABQkC&pg=PA250}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= General Studies Manual |publisher= ]|year= 2009 |page=17 |isbn= 9788131721339 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=oAo1X2eagywC&pg=RA1-PR17 |last1=Thorpe |first1=Showick |last2=Thorpe |first2=Edgar}}</ref> Some animal sexual behaviour involves ], sometimes fighting, between multiple males. Females often select males for mating only if they appear strong and able to protect themselves. The male that wins a fight may also have the chance to mate with a larger number of females and will therefore pass on his genes to their offspring.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Wickler, Wolfgang |author2=Lorenz |author3=Konrad |author4=Kacher, Hermann |title= The sexual code : the social behaviour of animals and men |year= 1974}}</ref>

| url = http://www.news-medical.net/?id=20718| title = 1,500 animal species practice homosexuality| date = 2006-10-23| publisher =News-medical.net| accessdate = 2007-02-19}}{{Verify credibility|date=June 2010}}</ref>
Historically, it was believed that only humans and a small number of other species performed sexual acts other than for reproduction, and that animals' sexuality was instinctive and a simple "]" behaviour. However, in addition to homosexual behaviours, a range of species ] and may ] to help them do so. Sexual behaviour may be tied more strongly to the establishment and maintenance of complex social bonds across a population which support its success in non-reproductive ways. Both reproductive and non-reproductive behaviours can be related to expressions of dominance over another animal or survival within a stressful situation (such as sex due to duress or coercion).


Animal sexual behaviour involves struggle between many males. Female animals select males only if they are strong and able to protect themselves or not. For example, if a male animal fights against another male animal of the same species, then the animal that wins the fight will have the chance to mate with the higher number of females and also he will pass on his genes to his offspring, who pass on their genes to the next offspring in line.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Wickler, Wolfgang; Lorenz; Konrad and Kacher, Hermann |title=The sexual code : the social behaviour of animals and me|year=1974}}</ref>
==Mating systems== ==Mating systems==
] at a ], with multiple males displaying for the less conspicuous females]]
{{Main|Mating systems}}
In ] and ], the term ] is used to describe the ways in which animal societies are structured in relation to sexual behaviour. The mating system specifies which males mate with which females, and under what circumstances. There are four basic systems:


{| class="wikitable"
===General===
|-
In ] and ], the term ] is used to describe the ways in which animal societies are structured in relation to sexual behaviour. The mating system specifies which males mate with which females, and under what circumstances.
! colspan="3" style="text-align:center; width:400px;"| The four basic mating systems<ref name="Moyle&Cech">Moyle PB and Cech JJ (2004) ''Fishes, An Introduction to Ichthyology.'' 5th Ed, Benjamin Cummings. {{ISBN|978-0-13-100847-2}}</ref>{{Rp|160–161}}<ref name="Berglund1997">Berglund A (1997) Pages 237–265 in JJ Godon, ed. ''Behavioural ecology of teleost fishes''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-850503-5}}.</ref>

|-
The following are some of the mating systems generally recognised in humans and other animals:
!
*]: Two individuals have an exclusive mating relationship.
! Single female
*]: A single individual concurrently carries '''relationship'''/mates with one or more of the opposite sex. Three types are recognized:
! Multiple females
**] (the most common polygamous mating system in vertebrates so far studied): One male has an exclusive relationship with two or more females.
|-
**]: One female has an exclusive relationship with two or more males.
! Single male
**]: Two or more individuals have an exclusive relationship with two or more individuals from the opposite sex; the numbers of males and females need not be equal, and in vertebrate species studied so far, there are usually fewer males.
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
*]: Any male and female will mate within the social group.
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
|-
! Multiple males
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
|}


===Monogamy=== ===Monogamy===
{{Main|Monogamous pairing in animals}} {{Main|Monogamous pairing in animals}}
{{See also|Evolution of monogamy}} {{See also|Evolution of monogamy}}
] and ] now have solid evidence that monogamous pairs of animals are not always sexually exclusive. Many animals that form pairs to mate and raise offspring regularly engage in sexual activities with extra-pair partners.<ref>{{cite doi|10.1016/0003-3472(89)90002-X}}</ref><ref>
{{cite doi|10.1007/BF00302936}}</ref><ref name="Birkhead,Møller,1995"/><ref name="Birkhead,Møller,1996"/><ref>{{cite doi|10.1086/283751}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|10811442}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1093/beheco/12.4.457}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1007/BF02735575}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Mason, W.A. |year=1966|title=Social organization of the South American monkey, Callicebus moloch: a preliminary report|url=http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pdf2/003095300030443.pdf|journal=Tulane Studies in Zoology|volume= 13|pages= 23–28}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1163/156853983X00390}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1111/j.1439-0310.1995.tb00319.x}}</ref><ref name="Reichard,2002"/><ref>{{cite journal|author=Richardson, P.R.K. |year=1987|title=Aardwolf mating system: overt cuckoldry in an apparently monogamous mammal|journal=South African Journal of Science|volume= 83|pages= 405–412}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.2307/1368407|author=Welsh, D. & Sedinger, J.S. |year=1990|title=Extra-Pair copulations in Black Brant|jstor=1368407|journal=The Condor|url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/104247|volume= 92|issue=1|pages= 242–244}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.34.011802.132439}}</ref> This includes previous examples, such as ]s. Sometimes, these extra-pair sexual activities lead to offspring. Genetic tests frequently show that some of the offspring raised by a monogamous pair come from the female mating with an extra-pair male partner.<ref name="Birkhead,Møller,1995">{{cite journal|author=Birkhead, T.R. & Møller, A.P. |year=1995|title=Extra-pair copulations and extra-pair paternity in birds|journal=Animal Behaviour|volume= 49|pages= 843–848}}</ref><ref name="Birkhead,Møller,1996">Birkhead, T.R. & Møller, A.P. (1996) "Monogamy and sperm competition in birds". In J. M. Black (Ed.), ''Partnerships in Birds: The Study of Monogamy'', , Oxford: Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-854860-5.</ref><ref name="Owens,Hartley,1998">{{cite doi|10.1098/rspb.1998.0308}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1139/z04-142}}</ref> These discoveries have led biologists to adopt new ways of talking about monogamy:


] occurs when one male and one female mate exclusively with each other. A monogamous mating system is one in which individuals form ] and cooperate in raising offspring. These pairs may last for a lifetime, such as in ],<ref name="britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url= https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/460131/pigeon |title= Pigeon |access-date= 26 August 2014 |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica }}</ref> or it may occasionally change from one mating season to another, such as in ]s.<ref name="NSF">{{cite web |url= https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=126932 |title= Animal Attraction: The Many Forms of Monogamy in the Animal Kingdom |access-date= 26 August 2014 |author= Lily Whiteman |date= 13 February 2013 |work= National Science Foundation |archive-date= 25 July 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140725070543/http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=126932 |url-status= live }}</ref> In contrast with ], these pair-bonding species have lower levels of male aggression, competition and little ]. ] and ] now have evidence that monogamous pairs of animals are not always sexually exclusive. Many animals that form pairs to mate and raise offspring regularly engage in sexual activities with ].<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Ågren | first1 = G. | last2 = Zhou | first2 = Q. | last3 = Zhong | first3 = W. | title = Ecology and social behaviour of Mongolian gerbils, ''Meriones unguiculatus'', at Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, China | doi = 10.1016/0003-3472(89)90002-X | journal = Animal Behaviour | volume = 37 | pages = 11–27 | year = 1989 | s2cid = 53152632 }}</ref><ref name="Birkhead, Møller, 1995"/><ref name="Reichard, 2002"/><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Westneat | first1 = D. F. | last2 = Stewart | first2 = I. R. K. | doi = 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.34.011802.132439 | title = Extra-Pair Paternity in Birds: Causes, Correlates, and Conflict | journal = Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics | volume = 34 | pages = 365–396 | year = 2003 }}</ref> This includes previous examples, such as ]s. Sometimes, these ] lead to offspring. Genetic tests frequently show that some of the offspring raised by a monogamous pair come from the female mating with an extra-pair male partner.<ref name="Birkhead, Møller, 1995">{{cite journal |author= Birkhead, T.R. |author2=Møller, A.P. |year= 1995 |title= Extra-pair copulations and extra-pair paternity in birds |journal= Animal Behaviour |volume= 49 |issue= 3 |pages= 843–848 |doi= 10.1016/0003-3472(95)80217-7 |s2cid=53156057 }}</ref><ref name="Birkhead, Møller, 1996">Birkhead, T.R. & Møller, A.P. (1996) "Monogamy and sperm competition in birds". In J. M. Black (Ed.), ''Partnerships in Birds: The Study of Monogamy'', , Oxford: Oxford University Press {{ISBN|0-19-854860-5}}.</ref><ref name="Owens, Hartley, 1998">{{Cite journal | last1 = Owens | first1 = I. P. F. | last2 = Hartley | first2 = I. R. | doi = 10.1098/rspb.1998.0308 | title = Sexual dimorphism in birds: Why are there so many different forms of dimorphism? | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | volume = 265 | issue = 1394 | pages = 397–407 | year = 1998 | jstor = 50849| pmc = 1688905}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Solomon | first1 = N. G. | last2 = Keane | first2 = B. | last3 = Knoch | first3 = L. R. | last4 = Hogan | first4 = P. J. | title = Multiple paternity in socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) | doi = 10.1139/z04-142 | journal = Canadian Journal of Zoology | volume = 82 | issue = 10 | pages = 1667–1671 | year = 2004 | bibcode = 2004CaJZ...82.1667S }}</ref> These discoveries have led biologists to adopt new ways of talking about monogamy. According to Ulrich Reichard (2003):
{{quote|Social monogamy refers to a male and female's social living arrangement (e.g., shared use of a territory, behaviour indicative of a social pair, and/or proximity between a male and female) without inferring any sexual interactions or reproductive patterns. In humans, social monogamy takes the form of monogamous marriage. Sexual monogamy is defined as an exclusive sexual relationship between a female and a male based on observations of sexual interactions. Finally, the term genetic monogamy is used when DNA analyses can confirm that a female-male pair reproduce exclusively with each other. A combination of terms indicates examples where levels of relationships coincide, e.g., sociosexual and sociogenetic monogamy describe corresponding social and sexual, and social and genetic monogamous relationships, respectively.|Reichard, 2003, p. 4<ref>Reichard, U.H. (2003). Monogamy: Past and present. In U.H. Reichard and C. Boesch (Eds.), Monogamy: Mating strategies and parnternships in birds, humans, and other mammals, pp. 3–25, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521819733.</ref>}}

{{blockquote|Social monogamy refers to a male and female's social living arrangement (e.g., shared use of a territory, behaviour indicative of a social pair, and/or proximity between a male and female) without inferring any sexual interactions or reproductive patterns. In humans, social monogamy takes the form of monogamous marriage. Sexual monogamy is defined as an exclusive sexual relationship between a female and a male based on observations of sexual interactions. Finally, the term genetic monogamy is used when DNA analyses can confirm that a female-male pair reproduce exclusively with each other. A combination of terms indicates examples where levels of relationships coincide, e.g., sociosexual and sociogenetic monogamy describe corresponding social and sexual, and social and genetic monogamous relationships, respectively.<ref>Reichard, U.H. (2003). Monogamy: Past and present. In U.H. Reichard and C. Boesch (Eds.), Monogamy: Mating strategies and partnerships in birds, humans, and other mammals, pp. 3–25, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|0521819733}}.</ref>}}


Whatever makes a pair of animals socially monogamous does not necessarily make them sexually or genetically monogamous. Social monogamy, sexual monogamy, and genetic monogamy can occur in different combinations. Whatever makes a pair of animals socially monogamous does not necessarily make them sexually or genetically monogamous. Social monogamy, sexual monogamy, and genetic monogamy can occur in different combinations.


Social monogamy is relatively rare in the animal kingdom. The actual incidence of social monogamy varies greatly across different branches of the evolutionary tree. Over 90% of avian species are socially monogamous.<ref name="Reichard,2002">{{cite journal|author=Reichard, U.H. |year=2002|title=Monogamy—A variable relationship|journal=Max Planck Research|volume= 3|pages= 62–67}}</ref><ref name="Barash,Lipton,2001">Barash, D.P. & Lipton, J.E. (2001). The Myth of Monogamy. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company, ISBN 0805071369.</ref> This stands in contrast to mammals. Only 3% of mammalian species are socially monogamous, although up to 15% of primate species are.<ref name="Reichard,2002" /><ref name="Barash,Lipton,2001" /> Social monogamy has also been observed in ]s, fish, and ]. Social monogamy is relatively rare in the animal kingdom. The actual incidence of social monogamy varies greatly across different branches of the evolutionary tree. Over 90% of avian species are socially monogamous.<ref name="Reichard, 2002">{{cite journal|last=Reichard |first=U.H. |year=2002 |title=Monogamy – a variable relationship |journal=Max Planck Research |volume=3 |pages=62–67 |url=http://www.mpg.de/1028786/W001_Biology-Medicine_062_067.pdf |access-date=24 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514183645/http://www.mpg.de/1028786/W001_Biology-Medicine_062_067.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Barash, Lipton, 2001">Barash, D.P. & Lipton, J.E. (2001). The Myth of Monogamy. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company, {{ISBN|0805071369}}.</ref> This stands in contrast to mammals. Only 3% of mammalian species are socially monogamous, although up to 15% of primate species are.<ref name="Reichard, 2002" /><ref name="Barash, Lipton, 2001" /> Social monogamy has also been observed in ]s, fish, and ].


Sexual monogamy is also rare among animals. Many socially monogamous species engage in ], making them sexually non-monogamous. For example, while over 90% of birds are socially monogamous, "on average, 30% or more of the baby birds in any nest sired by someone other than the resident male."<ref name="NY Times Mating">{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDC143FF932A1575BC0A966958260|work=The New York Times|title=Mating for Life? It's Not for the Birds of the Bees|first=Natalie|last=Angier|date=1990-08-21}}</ref> Sexual monogamy is also rare among animals. Many socially monogamous species engage in ]s, making them sexually non-monogamous. For example, while over 90% of birds are socially monogamous, "on average, 30% or more of the baby birds in any nest sired by someone other than the resident male."<ref name="NY Times Mating">{{cite news |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDC143FF932A1575BC0A966958260 |work= The New York Times |title= Mating for Life? It's Not for the Birds of the Bees |first= Natalie |last= Angier |date= 21 August 1990 |access-date= 14 February 2017 |archive-date= 5 November 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071105034546/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDC143FF932A1575BC0A966958260 |url-status= live }}</ref> ] has estimated that, out of 180 different species of socially monogamous songbirds, only 10% are sexually monogamous.<ref name="Gowaty, Morell, 1998">{{Cite journal
| last1 = Morell | first1 = V.
] has estimated that, out of 180 different species of socially monogamous songbirds, only 10% are sexually monogamous.<ref name="Gowaty,Morell,1998">{{cite pmid|9767050}}</ref>
| title = Evolution of Sex: A New Look at Monogamy
| doi = 10.1126/science.281.5385.1982
| journal = Science
| volume = 281
| issue = 5385
| pages = 1982–1983
| year = 1998
| pmid = 9767050
| s2cid = 31391458
}}</ref>


The incidence of genetic monogamy, determined by DNA fingerprinting, varies widely across species. For a few rare species, the incidence of genetic monogamy is 100%, with all offspring genetically related to the socially monogamous pair. But genetic monogamy is strikingly low in other species. Barash and Lipton note: The incidence of genetic monogamy, determined by DNA fingerprinting, varies widely across species. For a few rare species, the incidence of genetic monogamy is 100%, with all offspring genetically related to the socially monogamous pair. But genetic monogamy is strikingly low in other species. Barash and Lipton note:


{{quote|The highest known frequency of extra-pair copulations are found among the ]s, lovely tropical creatures technically known as '']'' and '']''. More than 65% of all fairy-wren chicks are fathered by males outside the supposed breeding group.|Barash & Lipton, 2001, p. 12<ref name="Barash,Lipton,2001" />}} {{blockquote|The highest known frequency of extra-pair copulations are found among the ]s, lovely tropical creatures technically known as '']'' and '']''. More than 65% of all fairy-wren chicks are fathered by males outside the supposed breeding group.<ref name="Barash, Lipton, 2001" />{{sup|p. 12}}}}


Such low levels of genetic monogamy have surprised biologists and zoologists, forcing them to rethink the role of social monogamy in evolution. They can no longer assume social monogamy determines how genes are distributed in a species. The lower the rates of genetic monogamy among socially monogamous pairs, the less of a role social monogamy plays in determining how genes are distributed among offspring. Such low levels of genetic monogamy have surprised biologists and zoologists, forcing them to rethink the role of social monogamy in evolution. They can no longer assume social monogamy determines how genes are distributed in a species. The lower the rates of genetic monogamy among socially monogamous pairs, the less of a role social monogamy plays in determining how genes are distributed among offspring.


===Polygamy and polygyny=== ===Polygamy===
{{See also|Promiscuity#Other animals}}
{{Main|Polygyny in nature}}
] is defined as a mating structure in which a single individual of one sex has exclusive access to several individuals of the opposite sex. It takes two main forms – polygyny and polyandry. As polygyny is the most common form of polygamy among vertebrates (including humans, to some extent), it has been studied far more extensively than polyandry.


The term ] is an umbrella term used to refer generally to non-monogamous matings. As such, polygamous relationships can be polygynous, polyandrous or polygynandrous. In a small number of species, individuals can display either polygamous or monogamous behaviour depending on environmental conditions. An example is the social wasp '']''.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} In some species, polygyny and polyandry is displayed by both sexes in the population. Polygamy in both sexes has been observed in ] (''Tribolium castaneum''). Polygamy is also seen in many ] species including '']'' (true armyworm moth).<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Mcneil | first1 = Jeremy N | year = 1986 | title = Calling Behavior: Can It Be Used to Identify Migratory Species of Moths | journal = The Florida Entomologist | volume = 69 | issue = 1| pages = 78–84 | doi = 10.2307/3494746 | jstor = 3494746 }}</ref>
In some species, notably those with ]-like structures, only one of a few males in a group of females will mate. Technically, ] in sociobiology and zoology is defined as a system in which a male has a relationship with more than one female, but the females are predominantly bonded to a single male. Should the active male be driven out, killed, or otherwise removed from the group, in a number of species the new male will ensure that breeding resources are not wasted on another male's young.<ref>This section and examples taken from ] (1998) '']'', W.H. Freeman and Co., ISBN 0-7167-3210-6, pp. 140–141.</ref> The new male may achieve this in many different ways, including:
* Competitive ]
:in ]s, ], and some ]s, the new male will kill the offspring of the previous alpha male to cause their mothers to become receptive to his sexual advances since they are no longer ].
* ] to ]
:amongst wild ]s and ]s, the male will "systematically harass" pregnant females until they miscarry.
* ] based ]
:in some ]s such as ], a new male with a different scent will cause females who are pregnant to spontaneously fail to implant recently fertilized eggs. This does not require contact; it is mediated by ] alone. It is known as the ].


A ] is one in which "mating tends to be highly polygamous and involves high levels of male-male aggression and competition."<ref name=twsNovK12>{{cite news |author= Robert Sapolsky |title= Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, 2nd edition |url= http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1597 |publisher= The Teaching Company |year= 2005 |access-date= 2010-11-10 |archive-date= 16 February 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140216181603/http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1597 |url-status= live }}</ref> Tournament behaviour often correlates with high levels of ], examples of species including ] and ]. Most polygamous species present high levels of tournament behaviour, with a notable exception being ].{{Citation needed|reason=Evidence for bonobo sexual peacefulness is scant|date=April 2018}}
Von Haartman specifically described the mating behaviour of the ] as successive polygyny.<ref>{{cite doi|10.1163/156853951X00296}}</ref> Within this system, the males leave their home territory once their primary female lays her first egg. Males then create a second territory, presumably in order to attract a secondary female to breed. Even when they succeed at acquiring a second mate, the males typically return to the first female to exclusively provide for her and her offspring.<ref>{{cite pmid|583410}}</ref>


===Promiscuity=== ====Polygyny====
{{Main|Polygyny in animals}}
Two examples of systems in primates are ] mating ] and ]s. These species live in social groups consisting of several males and several females. Each female copulates with many males, and vice versa. In bonobos, the amount of promiscuity is particularly striking because bonobos use sex to alleviate social conflict as well as to reproduce.


] occurs when one male gets exclusive mating rights with multiple females. In some species, notably those with ]-like structures, only one of a few males in a group of females will mate. Technically, ] in sociobiology and zoology is defined as a system in which a male has a relationship with more than one female, but the females are predominantly bonded to a single male. Should the active male be driven out, killed, or otherwise removed from the group, in a number of species the new male will ensure that breeding resources are not wasted on another male's young.<ref>This section and examples taken from ] (1998) '']'', W.H. Freeman and Co., {{ISBN|0-7167-3210-6}}, pp. 140–141.</ref> The new male may achieve this in many different ways, including:
===Seasonality===
{{Main|Seasonal breeder}}
Many animal species have specific mating (or breeding) seasons (]). These are often associated with changes to herd or group structure, and behavioural changes, including territorialism amongst individuals. These may be annual (e.g. ]), biannual (e.g. ]) or more frequently (e.g. horses). During these periods, females of most species are more mentally and physically receptive to sexual advances, a period scientifically described as ] but commonly described as being "in season" or "in heat", but outside them animals still engage in sexual behaviours,<ref>For example, masturbation, trial mounting, and other behaviours are regularly seen in male animals out of season</ref> and such acts as do occur are not necessarily harmful.<ref name="danish">2006 Danish Animal Ethics Council report: "The mucous membrane in the female animal’s vagina and the animal’s behaviour is under influence of its rut cycle. That means that the animal is physically and mentally more ready for sexual activities at some times than at others. But this does not mean that sexual activity will lead to injuries, fear or suffering, if it happens outside the rut period."


* competitive ]: in ]s, ], and some ]s, the new male will kill the offspring of the previous alpha male to cause their mothers to become receptive to his sexual advances since they are no longer ]. To prevent this, many female primates exhibit ovulation cues among all males, and show situation-dependent receptivity.<ref name="Fürtbauer-2011">{{Cite journal|last1=Fürtbauer|first1=Ines|last2=Heistermann|first2=Michael|last3=Schülke|first3=Oliver|last4=Ostner|first4=Julia|date=2011-08-10|title=Concealed Fertility and Extended Female Sexuality in a Non-Human Primate (''Macaca assamensis'')|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=6|issue=8|pages=e23105|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0023105|issn=1932-6203|pmc=3154278|pmid=21853074|bibcode=2011PLoSO...623105F|doi-access=free}}</ref>
(Danish: ''"Slimhinden i hundyrets vagina og dyrets adfærd er under indflydelse af dets brunstcyklus. Det betyder, at dyret er fysisk og mentalt mere parat til seksuelle aktiviteter på nogle tidspunkter end på andre. Men dette er ikke ensbetydende med, at den seksuelle aktivitet vil være forbundet med skader, angst og lidelse, hvis den foregår udenfor brunstperioden."'') </ref> Certain other animals (]) breed dependent upon other conditions in their environment aside from time of year.
* ] to ]: amongst wild ]s and ]s, the male will continually attack pregnant females until they miscarry.
* ]-based ]
* in some ]s such as ], a new male with a different scent will cause females who are pregnant to spontaneously fail to implant recently fertilised eggs. This does not require contact; it is mediated by ] alone. It is known as the ].


Von Haartman specifically described the mating behaviour of the ] as successive polygyny.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Haartman | first1 = L. V. | doi = 10.1163/156853951X00296 | title = Successive Polygamy | journal = Behaviour | volume = 3 | pages = 256–273 | year = 1951}}</ref> Within this system, the males leave their home territory once their primary female lays her first egg. Males then create a second territory, presumably in order to attract a secondary female to breed. Even when they succeed at acquiring a second mate, the males typically return to the first female to exclusively provide for her and her offspring.<ref>{{Cite journal
==Interpretation bias==
| last1 = Silverin | first1 = B.
| title = Effects of long-acting testosterone administration on testes in free living pied flycatchers ''Ficedula hypoleuca''
| journal = Endokrinologie
| volume = 74
| issue = 2
| pages = 141–146
| year = 1979
| pmid = 583410
}}</ref>


Polygynous mating structures are estimated to occur in up to 90% of mammal species.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Aloise King |first= Edith D. |author2= Banks, Peter B. |author3= Brooks, Robert C. |title= Sexual conflict in mammals: consequences for mating systems and life history |journal= Mammal Review |publication-date= January 2013 |year= 2011 |volume= 43 |issue= 1 |pages= 47–58 |doi= 10.1111/j.1365-2907.2011.00200.x}}</ref> As polygyny is the most common form of polygamy among vertebrates (including humans), it has been studied far more extensively than polyandry or polygynandry.
The field of study of sexuality in non-human species has been a long standing ],<ref name="news-medical" /> with researchers either failing to observe or mis-categorizing and mis-describing sexual behaviour which does not meet their preconceptions. (See: ].) More current research provides views such as that of the ], which in 2006 held an exhibition on animal sexuality:


====Polyandry====
{{quote|Many 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.|<ref name="news-medical" />}}
]'' is polyandrous. This female is trailing the atrophied remains of males she has encountered.]]
{{Main|Polyandry in nature}}


] occurs when one female gets exclusive mating rights with multiple males. In some species, such as ], both ] and ] are observed.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Marraro |first= CH |author2= Nursall JR |title= The reproductive periodicity and behaviour of Ophioblennius atlanticus at Barbados |journal= J Zool |year= 1983 |volume= 61 |issue= 2 |pages= 317–325 |doi= 10.1139/z83-042}}</ref>
An example of overlooking behaviour relates to descriptions of ] mating:


The males in some deep sea ]es are much smaller than the females. When they find a female they bite into her skin, releasing an ] that digests the skin of their mouths and her body and fusing the pair down to the blood-vessel level. The male then slowly ], losing first his digestive organs, then his brain, heart, and eyes, ending as nothing more than a pair of ], which release ] in response to ] in the female's bloodstream indicating ] release. This extreme ] ensures that, when the female is ready to spawn, she has a mate immediately available.<ref name="doran">{{cite journal | author = Theodore W. Pietsch | title = Precocious sexual parasitism in the deep sea ceratioid anglerfish, Cryptopsaras couesi Gill | volume=256 | issue = 5512 | doi=10.1038/256038a0 | journal=Nature | pages=38–40| year = 1975 | bibcode = 1975Natur.256...38P | s2cid = 4226567 }}</ref> A single anglerfish female can "mate" with many males in this manner.
{{quote|When nine out of ten pairings occur between males, "very male that sniffed a female was reported as sex, while ] with ] between males was only 'revolving around' ], competition or greetings.|<ref name="news-medical" />}}


====Polygynandry====
Other aspects that are often misinterpreted by humans are the frequency and context in which animals engage in sexual behaviours. For example, domestic or farm animals display behaviours like mounting and head butting during both sex and competition or combats with each other. Careful analysis must be made to interpret what animal activities are implied by those behaviours.<ref>{{cite pmid|16727133}}</ref>
{{Main|Polygynandry}}


] occurs when multiple males mate indiscriminately with multiple females. The numbers of males and females need not be equal, and in vertebrate species studied so far, there are usually fewer males. Two examples of systems in primates are promiscuous mating ] and ]s. These species live in social groups consisting of several males and several females. Each female copulates with many males, and vice versa. In bonobos, the amount of promiscuity is particularly striking because bonobos use sex to alleviate social conflict as well as to reproduce.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_gayanimal_2.html|title=Homosexual Activity Among Animals Stirs Debate|date=2004-07-23|access-date=2018-11-18|archive-date=13 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113071554/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_gayanimal_2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> This mutual promiscuity is the approach most commonly used by spawning animals, and is perhaps the "original fish mating system."<ref name="Moyle&Cech" />{{Rp|161}} Common examples are ], such as ]s, which form huge mating ] in shallow water. The water becomes milky with sperm and the bottom is draped with millions of fertilised eggs.<ref name="Moyle&Cech" />{{Rp|161}}
==Genetics and sex==


==Parental investment and reproductive success==
A study carried out by Moore et al.{{who|date=September 2012}} suggests that sexual differentiation isn’t dependent only on hormones that are secreted by the gonads. Genetic sex-determining factors also play a critical role in the sexual differentiation process. These genetic factors may later go on to activate hormones secreted by the gonads. More importantly, these genetic factors may be responsible for the differences between an organisms’ sexuality as seen in the animal kingdom. This suggests that these inherited factors may be responsible for the varying degrees of sexuality observed and can be influenced by the environment as well as other physiological factors to develop a unique organism.<ref>{{cite doi|10.1111/j.1749-6632.1947.tb31725.x}}</ref>
{{Main|Bateman's principle}}
], suspended from a slime thread]]


Female and male sexual behaviour differ in many species. Often, males are more active in initiating mating, and bear the more conspicuous sexual ornamentation like antlers and colourful plumage. This is a result of ], where ] are smaller and much less costly (energetically) to produce than ]s. This difference in physiological cost means that males are more limited by the number of mates they can secure, while females are limited by the quality of genes of her mates, a phenomenon known as ].<ref>{{Citation | last = Bateman | first = A.J. | title = Intra-sexual selection in Drosophila | journal = Heredity | volume = 2 | pages = 349–368 | year = 1948 | doi = 10.1038/hdy.1948.21 | pmid = 18103134 | issue = Pt. 3| doi-access = free}}</ref> Many females also have extra reproductive burdens in that ] often falls mainly, or exclusively, on them. Thus, females are more limited in their potential ].<ref name=Trivers1972>Trivers, R.L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In B. Campbell (Ed.), ''Sexual selection and the descent of man'', 1871–1971 (pp.&nbsp;136–179). Chicago, IL: Aldine. {{ISBN|0-435-62157-2}}</ref> In species where males take on more of the reproductive costs, such as ] and ]s, the role is reversed, and the females are larger, more aggressive and more brightly coloured than the males.
==Sex for pleasure==
It is a common myth that animals do not (as a rule) have sex for pleasure, or alternatively that humans, pigs (and perhaps dolphins and one or two species of primate) are the only species which do. This is sometimes formulated "animals mate only for reproduction".


In hermaphroditic animals, the costs of parental care can be evenly distributed between the sexes, e.g. ]s. In some species of ]s, sexual behaviour takes the form of ]. In this form of copulation, the individual that first penetrates the other with the penis, forces the other to be female, thus carrying the majority of the cost of reproduction.<ref name="sn"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326155753/http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc98/2_14_98/fob2.htm |date=26 March 2008 }}, ''Science News Online''. Accessed 14 March 2009.</ref> Post mating, ] will some times gnaw off their partners penis as an act of ] called apophallation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Brooke L. W|title=Sexual conflict and partner manipulation in the banana slug, ''Ariolimax dolichophallus''|date=2007|publisher=University of California|location=Santa Cruz|url=http://gradworks.umi.com/32/65/3265732.html|access-date=13 February 2015|archive-date=13 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213145523/http://gradworks.umi.com/32/65/3265732.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This is costly as they must heal, and spend more energy courting conspecifics that can act as male and female. A hypothesis suggests these slugs may be able to compensate the loss of the male function by directing energy that would have been put towards it to the female function.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Backeljau |first1=Thierry |last2=Jordaens |first2=Kurt |last3=Dillen |first3=Lobke |year=2007 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233602810 |journal=Animal Biology |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=137–195 |doi=10.1163/157075607780377965 |access-date=2018-11-18|title=Effects of mating, breeding system and parasites on reproduction in hermaphrodites: Pulmonate gastropods (Mollusca)}}</ref> In the ], the sharing of cost leads to a spectacular display, where the mates suspend themselves high above the ground from a slime thread, ensuring none of them can refrain from taking on the cost of egg-bearer.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Leonard|first1=J. L.|title=Sexual selection: lessons from hermaphrodite mating systems|journal=Integrative and Comparative Biology|date=5 May 2006|volume=46|issue=4|pages=349–367|doi=10.1093/icb/icj041|pmid=21672747|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Science cannot conclusively say at present what animals do or do not find "pleasurable," a question considered in more depth under ]. The urban myth website ] considers this particular view in depth. Its conclusions are broadly that the statement is true, but only using a ''very specific definition'' of "sex for pleasure," in which sexual acts tied to a reproductive cycle or for which an alternative explanation can be asserted, are ignored, as is all ]. Animals put themselves at risk to engage in sex, and as a result, most species have evolved sexual signals (usually scent and behaviour) to indicate the presence of receptive periods. During these, sex is sought, and outside these it is usually not sought. Snopes comments that this is not in fact a reflection of whether sex is pleasurable or not, but rather a reflection of whether individuals have sex at arbitrary times. They conclude:<ref>. Snopes.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.</ref>
{{quote|Of course, we have to make many seemingly artificial distinctions to arrive at our conclusion. Animals other than humans have no awareness that their sexual activities are connected with reproduction: They engage in sex because they're biologically driven to do so, and if the fulfillment of their urges produces a physical sensation we might appropriately call 'pleasure,' it isn't the least bit affected by the possibility (or impossibility) of producing offspring. We are also discounting cases in which animals do engage in sex even though reproduction is an impossibility because we claim there are other 'purposes' (of which the animals themselves are unaware) at play. (For example, the females of some species of birds will invite males to mate with them even after they have laid their eggs, but we ascribe a purpose to this behaviour: this is a biological "trick" to fool males into caring for hatchlings they didn't father.) We also employ subjective terms such as 'willingly' and 'regularly' in claiming that bonobos and dolphins are the only other animals who "willingly (and regularly) engage in sex with each other" ... and even then it may be the case that these species have some other 'purpose' for doing so that we haven't yet discovered...}}


==Seasonality==
A 2006 ] Animal Ethics Council report<ref> ''Udtalelse om menneskers seksuelle omgang med dyr'' published November 2006. Council members included two academics, two farmers/smallholders, and two veterinary surgeons, as well as a third veterinary surgeon acting as secretary.</ref> which examined current knowledge of animal sexuality in the context of legal queries concerning sexual acts by humans, has the following comments, primarily related to domestically common animals:
{{Main|Seasonal breeder}}
]s typically ] in connection with the full moon every August]]


Many animal species have specific mating (or breeding) periods e.g. (]) so that offspring are born or hatch at an optimal time. In marine species with limited mobility and ] like ]s, ]s and ]s, the timing of the common spawning is the only externally visible form of sexual behaviour. In areas with continuously high ], some species have a series of breeding seasons throughout the year. This is the case with most primates (who are primarily tropical and subtropical animals). Some animals (]) breed dependent upon other conditions in their environment aside from time of year.
{{quote|Even though the evolution-related purpose of mating can be said to be reproduction, it is not actually the creating of offspring which originally causes them to mate. It is probable that they mate because they are motivated for the actual copulation, and because this is connected with a positive experience. It is therefore reasonable to assume that there is some form of pleasure or satisfaction connected with the act. This assumption is confirmed by the behaviour of males, who in the case of many species are prepared to work to get access to female animals, especially if the female animal is in oestrus, and males who for breeding purposes are used to having sperm collected become very eager, when the equipment they associate with the collection is taken out.|<ref>Danish: ''"Selv om det evolutionsmæssige formål med at parre sig kan siges at være reproduktion, er det ikke selve det, at dyrene får afkom, der i første omgang får dem til at parre sig. Det er til gengæld sandsynligt, at de parrer sig, fordi de er motiverede for selve parringsakten, og at denne er forbundet med en positiv oplevelse. Det er derfor rimeligt at antage, at der er en eller anden form for behag eller tilfredsstillelse forbundet med akten. Denne antagelse bekræftes af adfærden hos handyr, der for mange arters vedkommende er parate til at arbejde for at få adgang til hundyr, især hvis hundyret er i brunst, og handyr der i avlsøjemed er vant til at få tappet sæd – de viser stor ivrighed, når det udstyr, de forbinder med sædopsamlingen, tages frem."'' </ref>}}


===Mammals===
{{quote|There is nothing in ]' anatomy or physiology that contradicts that ] and mating is able to be a positive experience. For instance, the clitoris acts in the same way as with women, and scientific studies have shown that the success of reproduction is improved by stimulation of clitoris on (among other species) cows and mares in connection with insemination, because it improves the transportation of the sperm due to contractions of the inner genitalia. This probably also concerns female animals of other animal species, and contractions in the inner genitals are seen e.g. also during orgasm for women. It is therefore reasonable to assume that sexual intercourse may be linked with a positive experience for female animals.|<ref>Danish: ''"Der er intet ved hunpattedyrenes anatomi eller fysiologi, der modsiger, at stimulation af kønsorganerne og parring skulle kunne være en positiv oplevelse – fx fungerer klitoris på samme måde som hos kvinder. Videnskabelige undersøgelser har vist, at reproduktionssuccesen forbedres ved stimulation af klitoris på bl.a. køer og hopper i forbindelse med insemination, fordi det forbedrer sædtransporten pga. sammentrækninger af de indre kønsdele. Dette gælder sandsynligvis også hundyr af andre dyrearter, og sammentrækninger i de indre kønsdele ses fx også under orgasme hos kvinder. Det er derfor rimeligt at antage, at det seksuelle samvær kan være forbundet med en positiv oplevelse for hundyrene."'' </ref>}}
Mating seasons are often associated with changes to herd or group structure, and behavioural changes, including territorialism amongst individuals. These may be annual (e.g. ]), biannual (e.g. ]) or more frequently (e.g. horses). During these periods, females of most mammalian species are more mentally and physically receptive to sexual advances, a period scientifically described as ] but commonly described as being "in season" or "in heat". Sexual behaviour may occur outside oestrus,<ref>For example, masturbation, trial mounting, and other behaviours are regularly seen in male animals out of season</ref> and such acts as do occur are not necessarily harmful.<ref name="danish">Denmark, Det Dyreetiske Råd, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004053028/https://www.justitsministeriet.dk/sites/default/files/media/Pressemeddelelser/pdf/2006/Udtalelse.pdf |date=4 October 2021 }} (Copenhagen: Justitsministeriet, November 2006), p. 24. "Slimhinden i hundyrets vagina og dyrets adfærd er under indflydelse af dets brunstcyklus. Det betyder, at dyret er fysisk og mentalt mere parat til seksuelle aktiviteter på nogle tidspunkter end på andre. Men dette er ikke ensbetydende med, at den seksuelle aktivitet vil være forbundet med skader, angst og lidelse, hvis den foregår udenfor brunstperioden." (Translation: "The mucous membrane in the female animal's vagina and the animal's behaviour is under influence of its rut cycle. That means that the animal is physically and mentally more ready for sexual activities at some times than at others. But this does not mean that sexual activity will lead to injuries, fear or suffering, if it happens outside the rut period.")</ref>


Some mammals (e.g. domestic cats, rabbits and camelids) are termed ]. For these species, the female ovulates due to an external stimulus during, or just prior to, mating, rather than ovulating cyclically or spontaneously. Stimuli causing induced ovulation include the sexual behaviour of coitus, sperm and pheromones. Domestic cats have ]. Upon withdrawal of a ], the spines rake the walls of the female's ], which may cause ovulation.<ref name="HayssenTienhoven1993">{{cite book |author1 = Virginia Douglass Hayssen |author2 = Ari Van Tienhoven |title = Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-specific Data |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yQzSe71g2AcC&q=spines |access-date = 27 September 2013 |year = 1993 |publisher = Cornell University Press |isbn = 978-0-8014-1753-5 }}</ref><ref name="Aronson 1967">{{Cite journal|title=Penile spines of the domestic cat: their endocrine-behavior relations.|last1=Aronson|first1=L. R.|last2=Cooper|first2=M. L.|journal=Anatomical Record|year=1967|volume=157|issue=1|pages=71–78|pmid=6030760|doi=10.1002/ar.1091570111|s2cid=13070242|url=http://www.catcollection.org/files/PenileSpines.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319031546/http://www.catcollection.org/files/PenileSpines.pdf|archive-date=19 March 2015}}</ref>
==Types of activity==


===Amphibians===
===Autoeroticism or masturbation===
For many amphibians, an annual breeding cycle applies, typically regulated by ambient temperature, precipitation, availability of surface water and food supply. This breeding season is accentuated in temperate regions, in boreal climate the breeding season is typically concentrated to a few short days in the spring. Some species, such as the ''Rana clamitans'' (green frog), spend from June to August defending their territory. In order to protect these territories, they use five vocalizations.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wells|first1=Kentwood D|title=Territoriality in the green frog (Rana clamitans): Vocalizations and agonistic behaviour|journal=Animal Behaviour|date=November 1978|volume=26|issue=4|pages=1051–1054|doi=10.1016/0003-3472(78)90094-5|s2cid=54344542}}</ref>
It appears that many animals, both male and female, masturbate, both when partners are available and otherwise.<ref name="Watson1978">{{cite book|author=Watson, P. F. |title=Artificial breeding of non-domestic animals: (the proceedings of a symposium held at the Zoological Society of London on 7 and 8 September 1977)|url=http://books.google.com/?id=kY8sZ7h4AEMC|accessdate=9 February 2013|year=1978|publisher=Academic Press for the Zoological Society of London|isbn=978-0-12-613343-1}}</ref><ref name="Balcombe2011">{{cite book|author=Balcombe, Jonathan P. |title=The Exultant Ark: A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasure|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=tz9mSyTWh0oC&pg=PA89|year=2011|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-26024-5|pages=89–}}</ref> It has also been observed in dogs.<ref name="Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association">{{cite book|title=Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association|url=http://books.google.com/?id=K-IfAQAAIAAJ|year=1931|publisher=American Veterinary Medical Association.}}</ref><ref name="Müller1897">{{cite book|author=Müller, Georg Alfred |title=Diseases of the dog and their treatment|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hcnbAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA183|year=1897|publisher=W.H. Hoskins|pages=183–}}</ref>


===Fish===
For example, Petplace.com comments in its guide on assessing potential ] purchases: ''"Masturbation is a normal behavior in all stallions that does not reduce semen production or performance in the breeding shed"''<ref>
Like many ] dwellers, the ] spawn around the time of the full moon in the wild. In a group of clownfish, there is a strict dominance hierarchy. The largest and most aggressive female is found at the top. Only two clownfish, a male and a female, in a group reproduce through external fertilisation. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning that they develop into males first, and when they mature, they become females. If the female clownfish is removed from the group, such as by death, one of the largest and most dominant males will become a female. The remaining males will move up a rank in the hierarchy.
{{cite web
|url=http://www.petplace.com/horses/breeding-soundness-examination-of-the-stallion/page2.aspx
|title=Breeding Soundness Examination of the Stallion
|publisher=www.petplace.com |quote= Inspection of the penis may reveal the presence of infection, tumors or scar tissue resulting from the placement of ]. Masturbation is a normal behaviour in all stallions that does not reduce semen production or performance in the breeding shed, and thus the use of devices to prevent such behaviour is strongly discouraged and can be harmful to the stallion.
|accessdate=2010-06-04
|last= Bedford-Guaus |first= Dr. Sylvia }}
</ref> Likewise a review from the ] says:


==Motivation==
{{quote |sign= Sue M. McDonnell |text= the behavior known within the horse breeding industry as ''masturbation''. This involves normal periodic erections and penile movements. This behavior, both from the descriptive field studies cited above and in extensive study of domestic horses, is now understood as normal, frequent behavior of male ].<ref name="McDonnell,Henry,Bristol,1991">McDonnell, S.M., Henry, M., & Bristol, F. (1991). . Proceedings Vth International Equine Reproduction Symposium. J Reprod Fert Suppl, 44, 664–665.</ref> Attempting to inhibit or punish masturbation, for example by tying a brush to the area of the flank underside where the penis rubs into contact with the underside, which is still a common practice of horse managers regionally around the world, often leads to increased masturbation and disturbances of normal breeding behaviour.<ref>
Various ]s stimulate sexual wanting in animals. In general, studies have suggested that ] is involved in sexual incentive motivation, ] and ]s in sexual attraction, and ] in sexual arousal.<ref name="georgiadis">{{cite journal | author = Georgiadis, J. R. |author2=Kringelbach, M. L. |author3=Pfaus, J. G. |name-list-style=amp | year = 2012 | title = Sex for fun: a synthesis of human and animal neurobiology | journal = Nature Reviews Urology | volume = 9 | issue = 9 | pages = 486–498 | doi=10.1038/nrurol.2012.151|pmid=22926422 |s2cid=13813765| doi-access = free }}</ref> ] is also involved in the sexual behaviour of some animals.<ref name=bear>{{cite book |last=Bear |first= Mark F. |title= Neuroscience, exploring the brain |url= https://archive.org/details/neuroscienceexpl00mark |url-access= registration |year= 2007 |publisher= Lippincott Williams and Wilkins |location= Baltimore, MD |pages= |isbn= 978-0781760034}}</ref>
{{cite journal |journal= Animal reproduction science |volume = 89 |year= 2005 |url= http://research.vet.upenn.edu/Portals/49/SEAM_ISSR_2005.pdf |first1= S. M. |last1= McDonnell |last2= A. L. |editor-first= E. |editor-last= Squires |doi= 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2005.06.016 |quote= Periodic spontaneous erection and penile movements known as masturbation (SEAM) occur normally at approximately 90 min intervals in awake equids. are consistent with suppressed sexual arousal and reduced breeding efficiency. Semen volume and total number of sperm per ejaculate were significantly less |title= Aversive conditioning of periodic spontaneous erection adversely affects sexual behavior and semen in stallions |pmid= 16112531 |first2= AL |issue= 1–4 |pages= 77–92 }}
</ref> |source= Sexual Behavior – Current Topics in Applied Ethology and Clinical Methods<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://research.vet.upenn.edu/HavemeyerEquineBehaviorLabHomePage/ReferenceLibraryHavemeyerEquineBehaviorLab/HavemeyerWorkshops/HorseBehaviorandWelfare1316June2002/HorseBehaviorandWelfare2/SexualBehaviorCurrentTopicsinAppliedEthol/tabid/3128/Default.aspx
|title= Specific Normal Behaviors of Domestic Horses That Are Misunderstood as Abnormal
|publisher= Equine Behavior Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine |accessdate=2010-06-04 |last= McDonnell |first= S. M. }}
</ref>}}


===Neurohormones in the mating systems of voles===
Castration does not prevent masturbation, as it is observed in ]s.<ref>
The mating system of ]s is ]; after mating, they form a lifelong bond. In contrast, ]s have a ] mating system. When montane voles mate, they form no strong attachments, and separate after copulation. Studies<ref>{{cite journal |title=Neuroanatomical distribution of μ-opioid receptor mRNA and binding in monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and non-monogamous meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) |journal=Neuroscience |year=2013 |last1=Inoue |first1=K. |last2=Burkett |first2=J. P. |last3=Young |first3=L. J. |volume=244 |pages=122–133 |doi=10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.035 |pmid=23537838 |pmc=4327842 }}</ref> on the brains of these two species have found that it is two neurohormones and their respective receptors that are responsible for these differences in mating strategies. Male prairie voles release vasopressin after copulation with a partner, and an attachment to their partner then develops. Female prairie voles release oxytocin after copulation with a partner, and similarly develop an attachment to their partner.
{{cite journal |title= Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Affects Precopulatory Behavior in Testosterone-Treated Geldings |journal= Physiology & Behavior |volume = 45 |year= 1989 |url= http://research.vet.upenn.edu/Portals/49/89gonadU.pdf |first1= S. M. |last1= McDonnell |first2= N. K. |issue= 1 |last2= Diehl |first3= M. C. |last3= Garcia |first4= R. M. |last4= Kenney |pages=145–148 |doi= 10.1016/0031-9384(89)90177-7 |pmid=2657816}}
</ref> Masturbation is common in both mares and stallions, before and after puberty.


Neither male nor female montane voles release high quantities of oxytocin or vasopressin when they mate. Even when injected with these neurohormones, their mating system does not change. In contrast, if prairie voles are injected with the neurohormones, they may form a lifelong attachment, even if they have not mated. The differing response to the neurohormones between the two species is due to a difference in the number of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors. Prairie voles have a greater number of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors compared to montane voles, and are therefore more sensitive to those two neurohormones. It's believed that it's the quantity of receptors, rather than the quantity of the hormones, that determines the mating system and bond-formation of either species.{{citation needed|reason=Couldn't it be the other way round?|date=July 2021}}
Sexologist ] in his 1927 "Studies in the Psychology of Sex" identified bulls, goats, sheep, camels and elephants as species known to practice autoeroticism, adding of some other species:


===Oxytocin and rat sexual behaviour===
{{quote|I am informed by a gentleman who is a recognized authority on goats, that they sometimes take the penis into the mouth and produce actual orgasm, thus practicing auto-fellatio. As regards ferrets ... "if the bitch, when in heat, cannot obtain a dog she pines and becomes ill. If a smooth pebble is introduced into the hutch, she will masturbate upon it, thus preserving her normal health for one season. But if this artificial substitute is given to her a second season, she will not, as formerly, be content with it." Blumenbach observed a bear act somewhat similarly on seeing other bears coupling, and hyenas, according to Ploss and Bartels, have been seen practicing mutual masturbation by licking each other's genitals.}}
Mother rats experience a ] which makes them highly motivated to mate. However, they also have a strong motivation to protect their newly born pups. As a consequence, the mother rat solicits males to the nest but simultaneously becomes aggressive towards them to protect her young. If the mother rat is given injections of an oxytocin ], they no longer experience these maternal motivations.<ref name="Kennet">{{cite journal|author1=Kennett, J.E. |author2=McKee, D.T.|year=2012|title=Oxytocin: An emerging regulator of prolactin secretion in the female rat|journal=Journal of Neuroendocrinology|volume=24|issue=3|pages=403–412|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2826.2011.02263.x|pmc=3288386| pmid= 22129099}}</ref>


Prolactin influences social bonding in rats.<ref name="Kennet" />
In his 1999 book, ''Biological exuberance'', ] documents that:


===Oxytocin and primate sexual behaviour===
{{quote|Autoeroticism also occurs widely among animals, both male and female. A variety of creative techniques are used, including ] using the hand or front paw (primates, Lions), foot (Vampire Bats, primates), flipper (]), or tail (Savanna Baboons), sometimes accompanied by stimulation of the nipples (Rhesus Macaques, Bonobos); ] or licking, sucking and/or nuzzling by a male of his own penis (Common Chimpanzees, Savanna Bonobos, Vervet Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys, Thinhorn Sheep, Bharal, Aovdad, Dwarf Cavies); stimulation of the penis by flipping or rubbing it against the belly or in its own ] (White-tailed and Mule Deer, Zebras and Takhi); spontaneous ejaculations (Mountain Sheep, ], ]); and stimulation of the genitals using inanimate objects (found in several primates and cetaceans).<ref name="Bagemihl,1999">Bagemihl, pp. 71, 209–210</ref>}}
Oxytocin plays a similar role in non-human primates as it does in humans.


Grooming, sex, and cuddling frequencies correlate positively with levels of oxytocin. As the level of oxytocin increases so does sexual motivation. While oxytocin plays a major role in parent child relationships, it is also found to play a role in adult sexual relationships. Its secretion affects the nature of the relationship or if there will even be a relationship at all.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Snowdon|first1=Charles T.|last2=Pieper|first2=Bridget A.|last3=Boe|first3=Carla Y.|last4=Cronin|first4=Katherine A.|last5=Kurian|first5=Aimee V.|last6=Ziegler|first6=Toni E.|title=Variation in oxytocin is related to variation in affiliative behavior in monogamous, pairbonded tamarins|journal=Hormones and Behavior|volume=58|issue=4|pages=614–618|doi=10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.06.014|pmid=20600045|pmc=2933949|year=2010|hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0012-2863-F}}</ref>
{{quote|Many birds masturbate by mounting and copulating with tufts of grass, leaves or mounds of earth, and some mammals such as primates and dolphins also rub their genitals against the ground or other surfaces to stimulate themselves.<ref name="Bagemihl,1999" />}}


Studies have shown that oxytocin is higher in monkeys in lifelong monogamous relationships compared to monkeys which are single. Furthermore, the oxytocin levels of the couples correlate positively; when the oxytocin secretion of one increases, the other one also increases. Higher levels of oxytocin are related to monkeys expressing more behaviours such as cuddling, grooming and sex, while lower levels of oxytocin reduce motivation for these activities.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}
{{quote|Autoeroticism in ], as well as heterosexual and homosexual intercourse (especially in primates), often involves direct or indirect stimulation of the clitoris . This organ is present in the females of all mammalian species and several other animal groups.<ref name="Bagemihl,1999" />}}


Research on oxytocin's role in the animal brain suggests that it plays less of a role in behaviours of love and affection than previously believed. "When oxytocin was first discovered in 1909, it was thought mostly to influence a mother's labour contractions and milk let-down. Then, in the 1990s, research with prairie voles found that giving them a dose of oxytocin resulted in the formation of a bond with their future mate (Azar, 40)." Oxytocin has since been treated by the media as the sole player in the "love and mating game" in mammals. This view, however, is proving to be false as, "most hormones don't influence behaviour directly. Rather, they affect thinking and emotions in variable ways (Azar, 40)." There is much more involved in sexual behaviour in the mammalian animal than oxytocin and vasopressin can explain.<ref>{{cite book |last= Lambert |first= K. |title= The Lab Rat Chronicles |year= 2011 |publisher= penguin group |location= New York |pages= 151–172}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Azar |first= B. |title= Oxytocin's other side |url= http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/03/oxytocin.aspx |date= March 2011 |volume= 42 |issue= 3 |page= 40 |journal= Science Watch |access-date= 4 November 2012 |archive-date= 14 November 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121114151544/http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/03/oxytocin.aspx |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Aubert | first1 = Y. | last2 = Gustison | first2 = M. L. | last3 = Gardner | first3 = L. A. | last4 = Bohl | first4 = M. A. | last5 = Lange | first5 = J. R. | last6 = Allers | first6 = K. A. | last7 = Sommer | first7 = B. | last8 = Datson | first8 = N. A. | last9 = Abbott | first9 = D. H. | doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02616.x | title = Flibanserin and 8-OH-DPAT Implicate Serotonin in Association between Female Marmoset Monkey Sexual Behavior and Changes in Pair-Bond Quality | journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine | volume = 9 | issue = 3 | pages = 694–707 | year = 2012 | pmid = 22304661| pmc = 5898967}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
and that:
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===Pleasure{{anchor|Sex for pleasure}}===
{{quote|Apes and Monkeys use a variety of objects to masturbate with and even deliberately create implements for ] often in highly creative ways.<ref name="Bagemihl,1999" />}}
It is often assumed that animals do not have sex for pleasure, or alternatively that ]s, ]s, ]s (and perhaps ]s and one or two more species of primates) are the only species that do. This is sometimes stated as "animals mate only for reproduction". This view is considered a misconception by some scholars.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hull | first1 = Elaine M. | last2 = Meisel | first2 = R. L. | last3 = Sachs | first3 = B. D. | year = 2002 | title = Male sexual behavior | url = http://www.elaine-m-hull.com/publications/male_sex_beh_chap.pdf | journal = Hormones, Brain and Behavior | volume = 1 | pages = 3–137 | doi = 10.1016/B978-012532104-4/50003-2 | isbn = 9780125321044 | access-date = 13 August 2016 | archive-date = 1 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160801181028/http://www.elaine-m-hull.com/publications/male_sex_beh_chap.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Masson2009">{{cite book |author= Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson |title= When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TqxjMVBNEAsC&q=hyena%20ejaculated |access-date= 28 May 2013 |date= 21 October 2009 |publisher= Random House Publishing Group |isbn= 978-0-307-57420-6}}</ref> ] argues that the prevalence of non-reproductive sexual behaviour in certain species suggests that sexual stimulation is pleasurable. He also points to the presence of the ] in some female mammals, and evidence for female orgasm in primates.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Balcombe, J. | year = 2009 | title = Animal pleasure and its moral significance | journal = Applied Animal Behaviour Science | volume = 118 | issue = 3 | page = 212 | doi = 10.1016/j.applanim.2009.02.012 | s2cid = 16847348 | url = https://animalstudiesrepository.org/acwp_asie/5 | access-date = 6 July 2019 | archive-date = 2 May 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200502213716/https://animalstudiesrepository.org/acwp_asie/5/ | url-status = live }}</ref> On the other hand, it is impossible to know the subjective feelings of animals,<ref name="georgiadis" /> and the notion that ] similar to humans is a contentious subject.<ref name="Dawkins2000">{{cite journal|last=Dawkins|first=M.|year=2000|title=Animal minds and animal emotions|journal=American Zoologist|volume=40|issue=6|pages=883–888|doi=10.1668/0003-1569(2000)0402.0.co;2|s2cid=86157681 |url=https://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=emotio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320083928/https://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=emotio |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 March 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=J.|last=Panksepp|title=Toward a general psychobiological theory of emotions|journal=Behavioral and Brain Sciences|volume=5|issue=3|year=1982|pages=407–422|doi=10.1017/S0140525X00012759|s2cid=145746882}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2010/7165.html|title=Emotions help animals to make choices (press release)|year=2010|publisher=University of Bristol|access-date=26 October 2013|archive-date=4 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004071007/http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2010/7165.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Animals, Ethics and Trade: The Challenge of Animal Sentience|editor1=Jacky Turner |editor2=Joyce D'Silva |year=2006|publisher=Earthscan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jl6cejHNQQUC&q=animal%20emotions&pg=PA28|access-date=26 October 2013|isbn=9781844072545}}</ref>


A 2006 ] Animal Ethics Council report,<ref>Denmark, Det Dyreetiske Råd, '' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004053028/https://www.justitsministeriet.dk/sites/default/files/media/Pressemeddelelser/pdf/2006/Udtalelse.pdf |date=4 October 2021 }}'' (Copenhagen: Justitsministeriet, November 2006), p. 23–24. "Selv om det evolutionsmæssige formål med at parre sig kan siges at være reproduktion, er det ikke selve det, at dyrene får afkom, der i første omgang får dem til at parre sig. Det er til gengæld sandsynligt, at de parrer sig, fordi de er motiverede for selve parringsakten, og at denne er forbundet med en positiv oplevelse. Det er derfor rimeligt at antage, at der er en eller anden form for behag eller tilfredsstillelse forbundet med akten. Denne antagelse bekræftes af adfærden hos handyr, der for mange arters vedkommende er parate til at arbejde for at få adgang til hundyr, især hvis hundyret er i brunst, og handyr der i avlsøjemed er vant til at få tappet sæd – de viser stor ivrighed, når det udstyr, de forbinder med sædopsamlingen, tages frem. . . . Der er intet ved hunpattedyrenes anatomi eller fysiologi, der modsiger, at stimulation af kønsorganerne og parring skulle kunne være en positiv oplevelse – fx fungerer klitoris på samme måde som hos kvinder. Videnskabelige undersøgelser har vist, at reproduktionssuccesen forbedres ved stimulation af klitoris på bl.a. køer og hopper i forbindelse med insemination, fordi det forbedrer sædtransporten pga. sammentrækninger af de indre kønsdele. Dette gælder sandsynligvis også hundyr af andre dyrearter, og sammentrækninger i de indre kønsdele ses fx også under orgasme hos kvinder. Det er derfor rimeligt at antage, at det seksuelle samvær kan være forbundet med en positiv oplevelse for hundyrene."</ref> which examined current knowledge of animal sexuality in the context of legal queries concerning sexual acts by humans, has the following comments, primarily related to domestically common animals:
Petter Bøckman of the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo commented (in respect of a 2006 ]) that:


{{blockquote|Even though the evolution-related purpose of mating can be said to be reproduction, it is not actually the creating of offspring which originally causes them to mate. It is probable that they mate because they are motivated for the actual copulation, and because this is connected with a positive experience. It is therefore reasonable to assume that there is some form of pleasure or satisfaction connected with the act. This assumption is confirmed by the behaviour of males, who in the case of many species are prepared to work to get access to female animals, especially if the female animal is in oestrus, and males who for breeding purposes are used to ] become very eager, when the equipment they associate with the collection is taken out. . . . There is nothing in ]' anatomy or physiology that contradicts that ] and mating is able to be a positive experience. For instance, the clitoris acts in the same way as with women, and scientific studies have shown that the success of reproduction is improved by stimulation of clitoris on (among other species) cows and mares in connection with insemination, because it improves the transportation of the sperm due to contractions of the inner genitalia. This probably also applies to female animals of other animal species, and contractions in the inner genitals are seen e.g. also during orgasm for women. It is therefore reasonable to assume that sexual intercourse may be linked with a positive experience for female animals.}}
{{quote|Masturbation is common in the animal kingdom ... We have a ] mentality that all animals only have sex to procreate. But there are plenty of animals who will masturbate when they have nothing better to do. Masturbation has been observed among primates, deer, killer whales and penguins, and we're talking about both males and females. They rub themselves against stones and roots. Orangutans are especially inventive. They make ]s of wood and bark.<ref name="news-medical" />}}


===Oral sex=== ==Koinophilia==
{{Main|Koinophilia}}
Animals of several species are documented as engaging in both ] and ]. Although easily confused by laypeople, this is a separate and sexually oriented behaviour, distinct from non-sexual ] or the investigation of scents.


Koinophilia is the love of the "normal" or phenotypically common (from the Greek {{Lang|grc|κοινός|size=90%}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|koinós}}, meaning "usual" or "common").<ref name=Koeslag1990>{{cite journal | last1 = Koeslag | first1 = J.H. | year = 1990 | title = Koinophilia groups sexual creatures into species, promotes stasis, and stabilizes social behaviour | journal =Journal of Theoretical Biology | volume = 144 | issue = 1| pages = 15–35 | doi = 10.1016/S0022-5193(05)80297-8 | pmid=2200930| bibcode = 1990JThBi.144...15K }}</ref> The term was introduced to scientific literature in 1990, and refers to the tendency of animals seeking a mate to prefer that mate not to have any unusual, peculiar or deviant features.<ref name=Koeslag1990 /> Similarly, animals preferentially choose mates with low ].<ref name="Moller">{{cite journal|author1=Moller, A.P. |author2=Pomiankowski, A |title=Fluctuating asymmetry and sexual selection|journal=Genetica|volume=89|issue=1–3 |pages=267–279|year=1993|doi=10.1007/bf02424520|s2cid=40071460 }}</ref> However, animal sexual ornaments can evolve through runaway selection, which is driven by (usually female) selection for non-standard traits.<ref name=Blind>Dawkins, Richard (1986). The Blind Watchmaker. Longman, London. Published in Penguin Books 1988, 1991, and 2006. Chapter 8, Explosions and Spirals.</ref>
Auto-fellatio or oral sex in animals is documented in ],<ref name="Mech2012">{{cite book|author=Mech, L. David |title=Wolf|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KOQZrXvczGMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=sucked&f=false|year=2012|publisher=Random House Digital, Inc.|isbn=978-0-307-81913-0}}</ref> ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s<ref>{{cite pmid|19862320}}</ref> and ] (see section ] for details).


==Interpretation bias==
===Contraceptives===
The field of study of sexuality in non-human species was a long-standing ].<ref name="news-medical">{{cite web |url= http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/23/1500-animal-species-practice-homosexuality.aspx |title= 1,500 animal species practice homosexuality |date= 23 October 2006 |publisher= News-medical.net |access-date= 19 February 2007 |archive-date= 8 August 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140808051024/http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/23/1500-animal-species-practice-homosexuality.aspx |url-status= live }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2010}} In the past, researchers sometimes failed to observe, miscategorised or misdescribed sexual behaviour which ]—their bias tended to support what would now be described as conservative sexual mores. An example of overlooking behaviour relates to descriptions of ] mating:
Among monkeys, ] and ] conducted a study on how ] ]s lead to decreased male attractiveness to females and eventually to male homosexuality.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LiyrEhQPmRsC&lpg=PA66&pg=PA66|author=Tiger, Lionel|pages=66 ff|year=1992|title=The Pursuit of Pleasure|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=0-7658-0696-7}}</ref> ] summarizes the findings as follows:<blockquote> study in the early 70s involved a tribe of monkeys. The alpha monkey of this tribe, named Austin, chose three female monkeys to be his exclusive sexual partners. Austin had a grand time with these three female monkeys. Then the researchers injected Austin's three females with the contraceptive Depo-Provera. Austin stopped having sex with them and chose other female monkeys to be his sexual partners. Then they contracepted all of the females in the tribe. The males stopped having sex with the females and started behaving in a turbulent and confused manner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/sexuality/se0217.htm|title=Contraception: Why Not? (revised)|author=]|accessdate=2011-05-08|year=2011| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110605012942/http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/sexuality/se0217.htm| archivedate= 5 June 2011 | deadurl= no}}</ref></blockquote>


{{blockquote|When nine out of ten pairings occur between males, "very male that sniffed a female was reported as sex, while ] with ] between males was only 'revolving around' ], competition or greetings."<ref name="news-medical" />}}
===Homosexual behaviour===
{{Main|Homosexual behavior in animals|Bisexuality#Elsewhere in the animal kingdom}}


In the 21st century, liberal social or sexual views are often projected upon animal subjects of research. Popular discussions of bonobos are a frequently cited example. Current research frequently expresses views such as that of the ], which in 2006 held an exhibition on animal sexuality:
]s, ''Anas platyrhynchos''. Mallards form male-female pairs only until the female lays eggs, at which time the male leaves the female. Mallards have rates of male-male sexual activity that are unusually high for birds, in some cases, as high as 19% of all pairs in a population.<ref name="mallard">Bagemihl</ref>]]
The presence of same-sex sexual behaviour was not scientifically observed on a large scale until recent times. Homosexual behaviour does occur in the ] kingdom outside humans, especially in social species, particularly in marine birds and mammals, monkeys, and the ]. Homosexual behaviour has been observed among 1,500 species, and in 500 of those it is well documented.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6066606.stm |title=Oslo gay animal show draws crowds |accessdate=2006-10-19 |date=2006-10-19|work=BBC News| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20061029010417/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6066606.stm| archivedate= 29 October 2006 | deadurl= no}}</ref>


{{blockquote|Many 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.<ref name="news-medical" />}}
{{quote|To turn the approach on its head: 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 ]s and ]. Moreover, a part of the animal kingdom is hermaphroditic, truly bisexual. For them, homosexuality is not an issue.|<ref name="news-medical" />}}


Other animal activities may be misinterpreted due to the frequency and context in which animals perform the behaviour. For example, domestic ruminants display behaviours such as mounting and head-butting. This often occurs when the animals are establishing dominance relationships and are not necessarily sexually motivated. Careful analysis must be made to interpret what animal motivations are being expressed by those behaviours.<ref>{{Cite journal
] professor ] has specifically theorised that homosexual behaviour, at least in ]s, is an evolutionary advantage that minimizes intraspecies aggression, especially among males.
| doi = 10.1016/0093-691X(92)90233-H
*Male ] couples have been documented to mate for life, build nests together, and to use a stone as a ] egg in nesting and brooding. In 2004, the ] in the ] replaced one male couple's stone with a fertilized egg, which the couple then raised as their own offspring.<ref> by Dinitia Smith, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', February 7, 2004</ref> ] and ]ese ]s have also reported homosexual behaviour among their penguins. This phenomenon has also been reported at Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium in ], ]. "Humans have created the myth that sexuality can be justified only by reproduction, which by definition limits it to hetero sex," says Michael Bronski, author of The Pleasure Principle: Culture, Backlash, and the Struggle for Gay Freedom. "But here is an animal society that uses homosexuality to improve its social life."
| last1 = Katz | first1 = L. S.
*Mounting of one female by another is common among ]. (''See also, ]. Freemartins occur because of clearly causal hormonal factors at work during gestation''.)
| last2 = McDonald | first2 = T. J.
*]s in zoos. After studying the primates for his book ''Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape'', primatologist ], a professor of psychology at Emory University in Atlanta, says that such expressions of intimacy are consistent with the homosexual behaviour of what he terms "the erotic champions of the world." "Same-sex, opposite-sex — bonobos just love sex play," de Waal said in an interview. "They have so much sex, it gets boring."
| title = Sexual behavior of farm animals
*Homosexual behaviour in male sheep (found in 6–10% of rams) is associated with variations in cerebral mass distribution and chemical activity. A study reported in '']'' concluded that biological and physiological factors are in effect.<ref name="PubMedCitation">{{cite pmid|14525915}}</ref> These findings are similar to human findings reported by ].
| journal = Theriogenology
| volume = 38
| issue = 2
| pages = 239–253
| year = 1992
| pmid = 16727133
}}</ref>


==Types of sexual behaviour==
{{quote|Approximately eight percent of rams exhibit sexual preferences for male partners (male-oriented rams) in contrast to most rams, which prefer female partners (female-oriented rams). We identified a cell group within the medial preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus of age-matched adult sheep that was significantly larger in adult rams than in ewes...}}
*Male bighorn sheep are divisible into two kinds: the typical males among whom homosexual behaviour, including intercourse, is common and "effeminate sheep", or "behavioural transvestites", which are not known to engage in homosexual behaviour.<ref>. washingtonpost.com (2004-07-04). Retrieved on 2011-02-15.</ref><ref>. Stanfordalumni.org (2003-07-02). Retrieved on 2011-02-15.</ref>
*Homosexual behaviour has been observed among bats; recently, in particular, the fruit bat.<ref name="Riccucci, Marco">{{cite journal|author= Riccucci, Marco|title= Same-sex sexual behaviour in bats|journal= Hystrix It. J. Mamm. (n.s.)|volume= 22|issue=1|year= 2011|pages= 139–147|doi=10.4404/hystrix-22.1-4478}}</ref>


===Reproductive sexual behaviour===
====Genital-genital rubbing====
====Copulation====
{{See also|Tribadism#Among female bonobos|Frot#Among other animals}}
{{Main|Copulation (zoology)}}
], or GG rubbing, among non-human animals is sexual activity in which one animal rubs his or her genitals against the genitals of another animal. The term ''GG rubbing'' is frequently used by ] to describe this type of sexual intimacy among female ]s, and is stated to be the "bonobo's most typical sexual pattern, undocumented in any other primate".<ref name="songweaver">{{cite journal |author=de Waal FB |title=Bonobo sex and society |journal=] |volume=272 |issue=3 |pages=82–8 |year=1995 |pmid=7871411 |url=http://songweaver.com/info/bonobos.html |quote = Perhaps the bonobo's most typical sexual pattern, undocumented in any other primate, is genito-genital rubbing (or GG rubbing) between adult females. One female facing another clings with arms and legs to a partner that, standing on both hands and feet, lifts her off the ground |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0395-82}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|16534808}}</ref> The term is sometimes used in reference to GG rubbing among male bonobos, under the term "]," which is the non-human form of ] that human males engage in. Such rubbing between males is thought, according to varying evolutionary theorists, to have existed before the development of hominids into humans and bonobos, and may or may not have occurred in the homosexual activity of both of these genetically related species.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=10768881|url=http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~lchang/material/Evolutionary/evo%20homosexual%20review.pdf |year=2000 |last1=Kirkpatrick |first1=RC |last3=Lévi-Strauss |first3=C |title=The Evolution of Human Homosexual Behavior |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=385–413 |journal=Current anthropology |doi=10.1086/300145}}</ref>
Copulation is the union of the male and female ], the sexual activity specifically organized to transmit male sperm into the body of the female.<ref name="Knobil">Knobil E., Neill J.D. (Eds). . Academic Press, 3nd edition, 2005</ref>


====Cuckoldry====
Genital rubbing has been observed among bull ]s, in conjunction with "kissing,"<ref name=worldpolicy>{{cite book|last=Bagemihl|first=Bruce|title=Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity|year=1999|publisher=St. Martin’s Press|location=World Policy Institute|url=http://www.worldpolicy.org/sites/default/files/uploaded/image/Bagemihl-1999-Homosexuality%20in%20marine%20mammals.pdf}}</ref> and is also common among ].<ref name="mallard" />
] sunfishes ] large males by adopting ''sneaker'' strategies.]]
{{See also|Cuckoldry in fish}}


] which allow small males to engage in ] can develop in species such as fish where ] is dominated by large and aggressive males. Cuckoldry is a variant of ], and can occur with ''sneak spawners''. A sneak spawner is a male that rushes in to join the spawning rush of a spawning pair.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210190505/http://www.fishbase.org/Glossary/Glossary.php?q=streak+spawning&language=english&sc=is |date=10 February 2015 }} Fishbase Glossary. Retrieved 11 February 2011.</ref> A spawning rush occurs when a fish makes a burst of speed, usually on a near vertical incline, releasing ]s at the apex, followed by a rapid return to the lake or sea floor or fish aggregation.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210190502/http://www.fishbase.org/Glossary/Glossary.php?q=spawning+rush&language=english&sc=is |date=10 February 2015 }} Fishbase Glossary. Retrieved 11 February 2011.</ref> Sneaking males do not take part in courtship. In salmon and trout, for example, ''jack males'' are common. These are small silvery males that migrate upstream along with the standard, large, hook-nosed males and that spawn by sneaking into ] to release sperm simultaneously with a mated pair. This behaviour is an ] for reproduction, because it is favoured by natural selection just like the "standard" strategy of large males.<ref>Gross MR (1984) "Sunfish, salmon, and the evolution of alternative reproductive strategies and tactics in fishes". Pages 55–75 in GW Potts and RJ Wottoon, eds. ''Fish reproduction: Strategies and tactics''. Academic Press.</ref>
===Cross species sex===
{{see also|Animal hybrid|Sexual imprinting}}
{{Commons category|Interspecies sex}}
While it is commonly believed that animal sexuality is instinctive and thus somewhat mechanistic, research regularly records that many animals are sexual opportunists, partaking in sexual relations with individuals of visibly distinct species.<ref>Walker, Matt (2008-05-02) . BBC News. Retrieved on 2011-02-15.</ref> This is more visible in domesticated species and animals in captivity, as domestication commonly selects for increased breeding rate (and so an accelerated breeding cycle has commonly arisen in domesticated species over the centuries), and also because these species are more easily observed by humans. Nevertheless, animals have been observed in the wild to attempt sexual activity with other species or indeed inanimate objects.


====Hermaphroditism====
In the wild, where observation is harder, genetic studies have shown a "large number" of inter-species hybrids, and other investigations describe productive and non-productive inter-species mating as a "natural occurrence".<ref>Haeberle (1978) states that sexual intercourse is not so very unusual between animals of different species as it is between humans and animals. Kinsey et al. (1948, p. 668) states "When one examines the observed cases of such crosses, and especially the rather considerable number of instances in which primates, including man, have been involved, one begins to suspect that the rules about intraspecific mating are not so universal as tradition would have it". Kinsey et al. (1953) further point out that genetic studies have shown the existence of a "large number" of inter-specific hybrids, that have occurred in the wild, and investigations (e.g., Cauldwell, 1968; Ford & Beach, 1951; Harris, 1969; Masters, 1962; Ullerstam, 1966, etc) have found that interspecies mating is a "natural occurrence".' (Cited by ], in her ] study of animal-human sexuality, 1999, p.51)</ref> Recent genetic evidence strongly suggesting this has occurred even within the history of the ] species, and that early humans often had sexual activity with other primate species,<ref>. Agençe France-Presse. 18 May 2006.</ref> is ].
]s change their sex to male if no male is available.]]
{{See also|Sequential hermaphroditism}}


] occurs when a given individual in a species possesses both male and female reproductive organs, or can alternate between possessing first one, and then the other. Hermaphroditism is common in invertebrates but rare in vertebrates. It can be contrasted with ], where each individual in a species is either male or female, and remains that way throughout their lives. Most fish are gonochorists, but hermaphroditism is known to occur in 14 families of ] fishes.<ref name="Shapiro1984">Shapiro DY (1984) "Sex reversal and sociodemographics processes in coral reef fishes" Pages 103–116 in GW Potts and RK Wootoon, eds., ''Fish reproduction: Strategies and tactics'', Academic Press.</ref>
] offspring can result from two organisms of distinct but closely related parent species, although the resulting offspring is not always ].


Usually hermaphrodites are '']'', meaning they can ], usually from female to male (]). This can happen if a dominant male is removed from a group of females. The largest female in the harem can switch sex over a few days and replace the dominant male.<ref name="Shapiro1984" /> This is found amongst ]es such as ]s, ]es and ]s. As an example, most ]s are ] hermaphrodites within a haremic mating system.<ref name="Robertson1978">{{Cite journal|last=Robertson|first=D.R.|author2=R.R. Warner|year=1978|title=Sexual patterns in the labroid fishes of the Western Caribbean II: the parrotfishes (Scaridae)|journal=Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology|volume=255|issue=255|pages=1–26|doi=10.5479/si.00810282.255}}</ref><ref name="Kazancioglu2010">{{Cite journal|last=Kazancioglu|first=E.|author2=S.H. Alonzo|date=August 2010|title=A comparative analysis of sex change in Labridae supports the size advantage hypothesis|journal=Evolution|volume=64|issue=8|pages=2254–2264|doi=10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01016.x|pmid=20394662|s2cid=8184412|doi-access=free}}</ref> It is less common for a male to switch to a female (]).<ref name="Moyle&Cech" />{{Rp|162}} A common example of a protandrous species are ]—if the larger, dominant female dies, in many cases, the reproductive male gains weight and becomes the female.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Buston | first1 = Peter M. | title = Territory Inheritance in Clownfish | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B | volume = 271 | pages = S252–S254 | doi = 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0156 | pmid = 15252999 | pmc = 1810038 | date = May 2004 | issue = Suppl 4 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Buston | first1 = P. | year = 2004| title = Does the Presence of Non-Breeders Enhance the Fitness of Breeders? An Experimental Analysis in the Clown Anemonefish ''Amphiprion percula'' | journal = Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology | volume = 57 | issue = 1| pages = 23–31 | doi = 10.1007/s00265-004-0833-2 | bibcode = 2004BEcoS..57...23B | s2cid = 24516887 }}</ref> Hermaphroditism allows for complex mating systems. Wrasses exhibit three different mating systems: polygynous, ], and promiscuous mating systems.<ref name="Colin1992">{{Cite journal
Due to the difficulties of observation, ] of this kind between two ], occurring in the wild, was only conclusively documented with the finding of a ] in April 2006.<ref name="msn">{{cite news |url = http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12738644/?GT1=8199 |title = Wild find: Half grizzly, half polar bear: Hunter bags what expert 'never thought would happen' in wild |publisher = MSNBC.MSN.com |date = May 11, 2006 |accessdate = 2006-05-14}}</ref> Again, as with lions and tigers, the two species would normally not share enough common territory to provide adequate opportunity for much ]{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}.
| last = Colin
| first = P.L.
|author2=L. J. Bell
| title = Aspects of the spawning of labrid and scarid fishes (Pisces, Labroidei) at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands with notes on other families (corrected reprint.)
| journal = Environmental Biology of Fishes
| volume = 33
| issue = 3
| pages = 330–345
| doi = 10.1007/BF00005881
| year = 1992
| doi-access = free
}}</ref>


====Sexual cannibalism====
Animal sexual advances on, and attempted interactions with, humans and other species, have been documented by ] such as ]{{disambiguation needed|date=August 2012}}, ] and ], as well as authoritative researchers such as ] who studied ]s in ]. Philosopher and ] activist ] reports:

{{quote|While walking through the camp with Galdikas, my informant was suddenly seized by a large male orangutan, his intentions made obvious by his erect penis. Fighting off so powerful an animal was not an option, but Galdikas called to her companion not to be concerned, because the orangutan would not harm her, and adding, as further reassurance, that 'they have a very small penis' ... though the orangutan lost interest before penetration took place.<ref>. Utilitarian.net. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.</ref>}}

===Prostitution and sexual fetishes===
{{main|Prostitution among animals}}
{{See also|operant conditioning}}
In some ] species, the females, even when in a committed relationship, will exchange sexual favours with strange males for the ]s they need to build their ]s.<ref>{{cite news|title = Penguins are turning to prostitution|publisher = BBC|date = 1998-02-26|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/60302.stm|accessdate = 2008-06-12}}</ref> Prostitution was also observed among chimpanzees, who trade food for sex.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/sex-for-meat-ndash-how-chimps-seduce-their-mates-1665356.html|location=London|work=The Independent|first=Steve|last=Connor|title=Sex for meat – how chimps seduce their mates|date=2009-04-08}}</ref>

Although not often reported, animals, or primates at the least, are able to sexualize inanimate objects similar to the way human beings sexualize the objects of their ]es. Not only will an animal that has a habitual object for masturbation sometimes appear to sexualize that object, primates have generalized further to sexualize ''kinds of objects'' for which no instinctual or prior sexual connection exists. {{Citation needed|date=April 2008}} Gabriel, a chimpanzee at the ], is said to have a shoe fetish (or possibly a ]) according to caretaker Bert Barrera, and it is reported that "he once found an opening in his enclosure that was large enough to grab a caretaker's foot and he held on until she relinquished a boot."<ref>Cindy Tumiel . Express-News (2004-10-19)</ref>

The sexualization of objects or locations is also well recognized in the breeding world. So for example, ]s may often become ] upon visiting a location where they have been allowed to have sex before, or upon seeing a stimulus previously associated with sexual activity such as an ]. {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

In this case however, the primary structure is ], and the fetishistic association is due to a conditioned response (or association) formed with a distinctive 'reward'. Human fetishism can also be traced back to similar or near-identical conditioning: likewise based upon the Pavlovian association between an erotic sensation or ], and objects which become mentally associated with that activity. {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

===Sexual imagery viewing===
A study by Platt, Khera and Deaner at ] (reported in '']'' and online here<ref>. Bioedonline.org (2005-02-01). Retrieved on 2011-02-15.</ref>), showed that male monkeys will give up privileges (in this case, juice, which is highly valued), to be allowed to see a female monkey's hindquarters.<ref name="Deaner,Khera,Platt,2005">{{cite journal|journal=Current Biology |author=Deaner M. O., Khera A. V. and Platt M. L. |url=http://www.mind.duke.edu/files/sites/platt/pub/2341148909.pdf |year=2005 |title=Monkeys pay per view: adaptive valuation of social images by rhesus macaques |volume=15 |pages=543–548 |pmid=15797023|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2005.01.044|issue=6}}</ref>

Deaner and his team reported that monkeys would take a juice cut to look at powerful males' faces or the perineum of a female, but to persuade the monkeys to stare at subordinate males, the researchers had to bribe them with larger drinks. "Virtually all monkeys will give up juice to see female hindquarters ... they really value the images."

The researchers stress that in monkey society, such behaviours have great social utility and we should therefore not simply reach the conclusion that "monkeys enjoy pornographic pictures".{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} There is no evidence at this point that viewable pictures or movies of sexual activity are valued for their sexual enjoyment, although as noted above (]), there are reports that watching sex in real life may have such an effect. The subject of animals and sexual imagery is not yet well researched.

Problems with encouraging ]s to mate in captivity have been very common. However, showing young male pandas "]" is widely credited with a recent population boom among pandas in zoos.<ref>Gray, Denis D. (2006-11-27) . Associated Press (via MSNBC). Retrieved on 2011-12-22.</ref>

{{anchor|Coercive sex}}
===Rape===
Controversial interpretations and implications aside (see ]), sex in a forceful or apparently coercive context has also been documented in a variety of species. A notable example is ]s, where at times, a ] will 'corner' a female '...although what happens once the males have herded in a female, and whether she goes for one or all of them, is not yet known: the researchers have yet to witness a dolphin copulation.'<ref>Angier, N. (1992-02-18) , ''New York Times''.</ref>
The behaviour is also common in some ]s (spiders), notably those whose females eat the males during sex if not tricked with food and/or tied down with threads,<ref>. smh.com.au (2003-08-11). Retrieved on 2011-02-15.</ref> and in some ] herd species or species where males and females are very different in size, where the male ] sexually by sheer force and size.{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}

]

Some species of birds appear to combine sexual intercourse with apparent violent assault; these include ]s,<ref>{{cite journal|author=R.O.Bailey, N. R. Seymour and G.R. Stewart|title=Rape behaviour in blue-winged teal|journal=Auk|volume= 95 |year=1978|pages=188–90|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v095n01/p0188-p0190.pdf|doi=10.2307/4085514}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|17790773 }}</ref> ], and ]s. According to Emlen and Wrege (1986)<ref>{{cite doi|10.1111/j.1439-0310.1986.tb00566.x}}</ref> forced copulations occur in this socially nesting species, and females must avoid the unwelcome attention of males as they emerge from their nest burrows or they are forced to the ground and mated with. Apparently, such attacks are made preferentially on females who are laying and who may thus mother their offspring as a result.

In 2007, research suggested that in the ] of ]s (also known as "diving beetles"), an "]" between the two sexes means that there is no courtship system for these beetles. "It's a system of rape. But the females don't take things quietly. They evolve counter-weapons." Cited mating behaviours include males suffocating females underwater till exhausted, and allowing only occasional access to the surface to breathe for up to six hours (to prevent them breeding with other males), and females which have a variety of body shapings (to prevent males from gaining a grip). Foreplay is "limited to the female desperately trying to dislodge the male by swimming frantically around."<ref>, '']'', 25 June 2007 p. 25</ref>

Charles Siebert reports in his New York Times article ''Elephant Crackup?'' that:

{{quote|Since the early 1990s, for example, young male elephants in ] and the ] in South Africa have been raping and killing rhinoceroses; this abnormal behaviour, according to a 2001 study in the journal Pachyderm, has been reported in ‘‘a number of reserves’’ in the region.|<ref>Siebert, Charles. (2006-10-08) . Nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.</ref>}}

This interpretation of the elephants' behaviour is, however, disputed by Rob Slotow, one of the original study's authors. He states there was "nothing sexual about these attacks".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2775/are-elephants-in-the-wild-showing-newly-aggressive-behavior-including-rape |title=Have elephants begun raping rhinos in the wild? |publisher=The Straight Dope |date=2008-07-25 |accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref>

===Sex between adults and juveniles===
It has also been recorded that certain species of ] will impregnate newborns of their own species. {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} It is not clear if this is forceful or not. Similarly, the male ] (Mustela erminea) will mate with infant females of their species.<ref>{{cite journal|author = Doncarlos, Michael W., Petersen, Jay S., Tilson, Ronald L.|title = Captive biology of an asocial mustelid; ''Mustela erminea''|journal = Zoo Biology|volume = 5|issue = 4|pages = 363–370|year = 1986|doi = 10.1002/zoo.1430050407}}</ref> This is apparently a natural part of their reproductive biology – there is a delayed gestation period, so these females give birth the following year when they are fully grown.

A male spotted hyena attempted to mate with a female hyena which succeeded in driving him off. He eventually turned to his ten-month-old cub, repeatedly ] it and ejaculating on it. The cub sometimes ignored this and sometimes struggled 'slightly as if in play'. The mother did not intervene.<ref>Kruuk, H. (1972) ''The Spotted Hyena'', University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0226455084, p. 232</ref>

Infants and children in ] societies are often involved in sexual behaviour.<ref name=ancestor>{{cite book |last=Dawkins |first=Richard |authorlink=Richard Dawkins |title=The Ancestor's Tale |year=2004 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |chapter=Chimpanzees |isbn=1-155-16265-X}}</ref>

Among ]s, there have been recordings of females being forcibly copulated, sometimes before adulthood.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bloom, Richard W. and Dess, Nancy Kimberly |title=Evolutionary psychology and violence: a primer for policymakers and public policy advocates |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=U5TokGOaq1EC&pg=PA87 |year=2003 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-275-97467-1 |pages=87–}}</ref>

Among primates, interest towards ] varies amongst different species under different circumstances and situations. Amongst ]s, juvenile males (equivalent of human teens) have been recorded mounting and copulating with immature members of the species. Amongst ]s, immature males have been recorded initiating genital play with female adult or female adolescent bonobos. Copulation-like contact between immature bonobo males and mature female bonobos increases with age and continues until the male bonobo has reached juvenile age. On the other hand, adult ]s do not show any sexual interest in juvenile or infant members of their species. Primates regularly have sex in full view of infants, juveniles and younger members of their species.<ref>{{cite book|author=Sommer, Volker and Vasey, Paul L.|title=Homosexual behaviour in animals: an evolutionary perspective |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KXM3F59y1jkC&pg=PA290 |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-86446-6 |pages=290–}}</ref>

===Sexual cannibalism and necrophilia===
{{Main|Sexual cannibalism}} {{Main|Sexual cannibalism}}
]
{{see also|Necrophilia#In animals}}
Sexual cannibalism, which has been documented in ]s, ]s and ]s, is a phenomenon in which a female organism kills and consumes the male before, during, or after copulation. Although it does confer some known advantages to reproduction, whether or not the male is complicit has not been scientifically determined.{{citation needed|date = April 2012}}


Sexual cannibalism is a behaviour in which a female animal kills and consumes the male before, during, or after copulation. Sexual cannibalism confers fitness advantages to both the male and female.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zuk |first1=Marlene |title=Mates with Benefits: When and How Sexual Cannibalism Is Adaptive |journal=Current Biology |date=December 2016 |volume=26 |issue=23 |pages=R1230–R1232 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.017 |pmid=27923131 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2016CBio...26R1230Z }}</ref> Sexual cannibalism is common among insects, arachnids<ref name="No7">{{cite journal | last1 = Polis | first1 = G.A. | year = 1981 | title = The evolution and dynamics of intraspecific +4193 predation | journal = Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics | volume = 51 | pages = 225–251 |doi=10.1146/annurev.es.12.110181.001301 | bibcode = 1981AnRES..12..225P | s2cid = 86286304 }}</ref> and ].<ref name="No7" /> There is also evidence of sexual cannibalism in ] and ]s.<ref name="No8">{{cite journal | last1 = Bilde | first1 = T. | last2 = Tuni | first2 = C. | last3 = Elsayed | first3 = R. | last4 = Pekár | first4 = S. | last5 = Toft | first5 = S. | year = 2006 | title = Death feigning in the face of sexual cannibalism | journal = Biology Letters | volume = 2 | issue = 1| pages = 23–5 | doi=10.1098/rsbl.2005.0392 | pmid=17148316 | pmc=1617195}}</ref>
] in animals is where a living animal engages in a sexual act with a dead animal. In one of the most well-known examples, ] of the ], ] observed sexual activities<ref>{{cite journal|author=Moeliker, C.W. |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110724162534/http://www.nmr.nl/nmr/binary/retrieveFile?instanceid=16&itemid=2574&style=home |title=The first case of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard ''Anas platyrhynchos'' (Aves: Anatidae)|pages= 243–247|year=2001|journal=Deinsea |volume=8|issn=0932-9308}}</ref> outside his office between a live ] and a dead one. Two male mallards which Moeliker believed were engaged in rape flight, a common motif in duck sexual behaviour, collided with his window. "When one died the other one just went for it and didn't get any negative feedback—well, didn't get any feedback," according to Moeliker, who described the event as "homosexual necrophilia." The case was reported scientifically in Deinsea 8-2001, along with photos,<ref>''DEINSEA'' : ''"DEINSEA publishes original papers and short communications dealing with zoology, paleontology and (urban) ecology. Contributions that are entirely or partly based on material from the collection of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam (coll. NMR) and/or that are the result of research by NMR staff, have priority."'' The Mallard paper and photographs are as a summary and also the paper in PDF format.<br />See also: {{cite news|url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,1432991,00.html|title=Necrophilia among ducks ruffles research feathers|date=2005-03-08|publisher=The Guardian|first=Donald|last=MacLeod|accessdate=2006-04-05|location=London| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060410234106/http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,1432991,00.html| archivedate= 10 April 2006 | deadurl= no}}</ref> and earned Moeliker an ] in biology, awarded for research that cannot or should not be reproduced.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,1432991,00.html|title=Necrophilia among ducks ruffles research feathers|date=2005-03-08|publisher=The Guardian|first=Donald|last=MacLeod|accessdate=2006-04-05|location=London| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060410234106/http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,1432991,00.html| archivedate= 10 April 2006 | deadurl= no}}</ref>


====Sexual coercion====
Additionally, male ]s have been documented (in ]) engaging in copulation with dead toads and inanimate objects.
{{Main|Sexual coercion among animals}}
] typically immobilises the female.]]


Sex in a forceful or apparently coercive context has been documented in a variety of species. In some ] herd species, or species where males and females are very different in size, the male ] sexually by force and size.{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}
==Specific species==


Some species of birds have been observed combining sexual intercourse with apparent violent assault; these include ]s,<ref>{{cite journal |author1= Bailey, R.O. |author2= Seymour, N. R. |author3= Stewart, G.R. |title= Rape behaviour in blue-winged teal |journal= Auk |volume= 95 |issue= 1 |year= 1978 |pages= 188–90 |url= http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v095n01/p0188-p0190.pdf |doi= 10.2307/4085514 |jstor= 4085514 |access-date= 5 March 2013 |archive-date= 29 November 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141129150225/http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v095n01/p0188-p0190.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
===Mammals===
| last1 = Barash | first1 = D. P.
| title = Sociobiology of Rape in Mallards (''Anas platyrhynchos''): Responses of the Mated Male
| doi = 10.1126/science.197.4305.788
| journal = Science
| volume = 197
| issue = 4305
| pages = 788–789
| year = 1977
| pmid = 17790773
|bibcode = 1977Sci...197..788B | s2cid = 34257131
}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mineau|first1=Pierre|last2=Cooke|first2=Fred|date=1979|title=Rape in the Lesser Snow Goose|journal=Behaviour|volume=70|issue=3|pages=280–291|doi=10.1163/156853979x00098|issn=0005-7959}}</ref> Female ]s are subjected to forced copulations. When females emerge from their nest burrows, males sometimes force them to the ground and mate with them. Such forced copulations are made preferentially on females who are laying and who may therefore lay eggs fertilized by the male.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Emlen | first1 = S. T. | last2 = Wrege | first2 = P. H. | doi = 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1986.tb00566.x | title = Forced Copulations and Intra-specific Parasitism: Two Costs of Social Living in the White-fronted Bee-eater | journal = Ethology | volume = 71 | pages = 2–29 | year = 2010 }}</ref>


It has been reported that young male elephants in South Africa sexually coerced and killed rhinoceroses.<ref>Siebert, Charles. (8 October 2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114151839/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08elephant.html |date=14 November 2012 }}. Nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.</ref> This interpretation of the elephants' behaviour was disputed by one of the original study's authors, who said there was "nothing sexual about these attacks".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2775/are-elephants-in-the-wild-showing-newly-aggressive-behavior-including-rape |title= Have elephants begun raping rhinos in the wild? |website= The Straight Dope |date= 25 July 2008 |access-date= 5 March 2013 |archive-date= 27 December 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121227090334/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2775/are-elephants-in-the-wild-showing-newly-aggressive-behavior-including-rape |url-status= live }}</ref>
<!-- ] contains a link to this section -->
{{commons category|Mammal sex}}
{{See also|List of mammals displaying homosexual behavior}}
].]]
The ], which has a ] society, ] — both males and females engage in sexual behaviour with the same and the opposite sex, with females being particularly noted for engaging in sexual behaviour with each other and at up to 75% of sexual activity being nonreproductive. Primatologist Frans de Waal believes that bonobos use sexual activity to resolve conflict between individuals.<ref>, National Geographic (2004-07-22) Retrieved November 6, 2007</ref> Sexual activity occurs between almost all ages and sexes of bonobo societies.<ref>{{cite pmid|4658666}}</ref>


====Parthenogenesis====
{{anchor|Bottlenose dolphins}}
] is a form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development of embryos occur without fertilisation.<ref>{{Citation|last=Wininger|first=J. David|date=2004|pages=635–637|publisher=Elsevier|doi=10.1016/b978-012436643-5/50072-9|isbn=9780124366435|title=Handbook of Stem Cells|chapter=Parthenogenetic Stem Cells}}</ref> Technically, parthenogenesis is not a behaviour, however, sexual behaviours may be involved.
Male ]s have been observed working in pairs to follow or restrict the movement of a female for weeks at a time, waiting for her to become sexually receptive. The same pairs have also been observed engaging in intense sexual play with each other. Janet Mann, a professor of biology and psychology at Georgetown University, argues<ref>. Sfgate.com (2004-02-07). Retrieved on 2011-12-22.</ref> that the common same-sex behaviour among male dolphin calves is about bond formation and benefits the species evolutionarily. They cite studies that have shown the dolphins later in life are bisexual and the male bonds forged from homosexuality work for protection as well as locating females with which to reproduce. In 1991, an English man was prosecuted for allegedly having sexual contact with a dolphin.<ref name="freddy">{{cite news|title='Tougher laws' to protect friendly dolphins|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3322580/Tougher-laws-to-protect-friendly-dolphins.html|author=Unwin, Brian |date=2008-01-22|publisher=]|location=London}}</ref> The man was found not guilty after it was revealed at trial that the dolphin was known to tow bathers through the water by hooking ] around them.<ref name="freddy"/>


] females have the ability to reproduce through parthenogenesis and as such males are rare and sexual breeding non-standard. Females engage in "pseudocopulation"<ref name="Whiptail">{{cite web|url=http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/05/the-new-mexico-whiptail-lizard-is-made-up-entirely-of-females/|title=New Mexico whiptail lizards are all females|author=Hiskey, D.|access-date=13 February 2015|date=2011-05-31|archive-date=13 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213144723/http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/05/the-new-mexico-whiptail-lizard-is-made-up-entirely-of-females/|url-status=live}}</ref> to stimulate ], with their behaviour following their hormonal cycles; during low levels of oestrogen, these (female) lizards engage in "masculine" sexual roles. Those animals with currently high oestrogen levels assume "feminine" sexual roles. Lizards that perform the courtship ritual have greater fecundity than those kept in isolation due to an increase in hormones triggered by the sexual behaviours. So, even though asexual whiptail lizards populations lack males, sexual stimuli still increase reproductive success. From an ] standpoint these females are passing their full genetic code to all of their offspring rather than the 50% of genes that would be passed in sexual reproduction.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}
{{anchor|Horses}}
Some horses have environment or appearance preferences when selecting mates.
There is also anecdotal evidence<ref>. Mini-horse.org. Retrieved on 2011-02-15.</ref> of limited bisexual behaviour in some stallions, although there is (as of 2008) no conclusive scientific confirmation. The anecdotal evidence claims this is most likely to occur in a single isolated group, with no access to mares.


It is rare to find true parthenogenesis in fishes, where females produce female offspring with no input from males. All-female species include the Texas ], ''Menidia clarkhubbsi''<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Echelle AA, Echelle AF, Crozier CD | year = 1983 | title = Evolution of an all-female fish, ''Menidia clarkhubbsi'' (Atherinidae) | journal = Evolution | volume = 37 | issue = 4| pages = 772–784 | doi = 10.2307/2407918 | pmid = 28568119 | jstor = 2407918}}</ref> and a complex of Mexican ].<ref name="Moyle&Cech" />{{Rp|162}}
{{anchor|Felidae}}
{{anchor|Lions}}
Male ]s often lead their social groups jointly with one or more of their brothers. To ensure loyalty, the male co-leaders will "strengthen the bonds" by often ].<ref name="news-medical" /> Both male and female lions have been seen to interact homosexually.<ref>Bruce Bagemihl, ''Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity,'' St. Martin's Press, 1999; pp.302-305. In his discussion of lion same-sex relations, Bagemihl is making use of published work by: J.B. Cooper, "An Exploratory Study on African Lions" in ''Comparative Psychology Monographs'' 17:1-48; R.L. Eaton, "The Biology and Social Behavior of Reproduction in the Lion" in Eaton, ed. ''The World's Cats,'' vol. II; pp.3-58; Seattle, 1974; G.B. Schaller, ''The Serengeti Lion''; University of Chicago Press, 1972</ref><ref>
{{cite web | last =Srivastav | first =Suvira | title =Lion, Without Lioness | work =TerraGreen: News to Save the Earth | publisher = Terragreen | date = 15–31 December 2001 | url = http://www.teri.res.in/teriin/terragreen/issue3/feature.htm
| accessdate = 2007-09-02}}</ref> Male lions pair-bond for a number of days and initiate homosexual activity with affectionate nuzzling and caressing, leading to mounting and ]. About 8% of mountings have been observed to occur with other males. Pairings between females are held to be fairly common in captivity but have not been observed in the wild. Most lionesses will have reproduced by the time they are four years of age.<ref name="Schaller29">Schaller, p. 29.</ref> Lions do not ] at any specific time of year, and the females are ].<ref name="Schaller174">Schaller, p. 174.</ref> As with other ], the male lion's penis has ]. Upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's ], which may cause ovulation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asdell |first=Sydney A. |title= |year=1993|origyear= 1964 |publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Ithaca |isbn=978-0-8014-1753-5}}</ref> A lioness may mate with more than one male when she is ];<ref name="Schaller142">Schaller, p. 142.</ref> during a mating bout, which could last several days, the couple copulates twenty to forty times a day, often forgoing eating. Lions reproduce very well in captivity.


Parthenogenesis has been recorded in 70 vertebrate species<ref name="ScientificAmerican">{{cite magazine|author=Harmon, K.|title=No sex needed: All-female lizard species cross their chromosomes to make babies.|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/asexual-lizards/|magazine=Scientific American|year=2010|access-date=13 February 2015}}</ref> including ]s,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6681793.stm|title=Captive shark had 'virgin birth'|access-date=23 December 2008|work=BBC News|date=2007-05-23|archive-date=17 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217051435/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6681793.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> ]s,<ref name="metro">{{Cite news| title='Virgin birth' for aquarium shark| url=http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Virgin_birth_for_aquarium_shark&in_article_id=351241&in_page_id=2| publisher=]| date=2008-10-10| access-date=2008-10-10| archive-date=11 October 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011190939/http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Virgin_birth_for_aquarium_shark&in_article_id=351241&in_page_id=2| url-status=live}}</ref> amphibians<ref>{{Cite book
]s typically breed from December to April. Copulation lasts from 16–73 minutes and may occur in water or on land. During the breeding, the male grabs the female by the neck with his teeth. Copulation is vigorous, and is interrupted by periods of rest. Females may ] during or shortly after mating. Female estrus lasts about a month per year,<ref>. Conservenature.org. Retrieved on 2013-01-09.</ref> and true ] lasts 61–63 days. Delayed implantation distinguishes the species from the European otter, which lacks this feature.<ref>{{cite book | last = Ware | first = George W. | title = Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology | publisher = Springer | year = 2001 | isbn = 0-387-95137-7 }}</ref>
| editor-last = Halliday
| editor-first = Tim R.
| editor2-first = Kraig |editor2-last=Adler
| title = Reptiles & Amphibians
| publisher = Torstar Books
| year= 1986
| page = 101
| isbn = 978-0-920269-81-7}}</ref>
and lizards.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Scientists discover unknown lizard species at lunch buffet
| first = Brian
| last = Walker
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/10/lizard.lunch.discovery/
| newspaper = CNN
| access-date = 2010-11-11
| date = 2010-11-11
| archive-date = 13 September 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180913002452/http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/10/lizard.lunch.discovery/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>


====Unisexuality====
{{anchor|Canidae}}
] occurs when a species is all-male or all-female. Unisexuality occurs in some fish species and can take complex forms. '']'', a minnow found in several river basins in Portugal and Spain, appears to be an all-male species. The existence of this species illustrates the potential complexity of mating systems in fish. The species originated as a hybrid between two species and is ] but not hermaphroditic. It can have ] and ] forms, including all-female forms that reproduce mainly through ].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Alves MJ, Collarea-Pereira MJ, Dowling TE, Coelho MM | year = 2002 | title = The genetics of maintenance of an all-male lineage in the ''Squalius alburnoides'' complex | journal =Journal of Fish Biology | volume = 60 | issue = 3| pages = 649–662 | doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01691.x| bibcode = 2002JFBio..60..649A }}</ref>
{{anchor|Canids}}


====Others====
{{Anchor|Domestic dogs}}
].]]


* '''Interbreeding''': ] offspring can result from the mating of two organisms of distinct but closely related parent species, although the resulting offspring is not always ]. According to ], genetic studies on wild animal populations have shown a "large number" of inter-species hybrids.<ref>{{cite book | author = Kinsey, Alfred | year = 1953 | title = Sexual Behavior in the Human Female | url = https://archive.org/details/sexualbehaviorin00inst | url-access = registration | page = | publisher = W.B. Saunders Company}}</ref>
As with most ]s, ] involves the male mounting the female from behind, a position informally referred to as "]". When a male canine is interested in mounting a female, he will sniff the female's ]. If the female is unreceptive, she may sit, lie down, snap, retreat, or otherwise be uncooperative. If the female is receptive, she will stand still and hold her tail to the side, a stance referred to as "flagging". The male will often continue examining the female's rear, before mounting her from behind whilst attempting ] with his ].<ref name="Rice2008">{{cite book|author=Dan Rice|title=The Complete Book of Dog Breeding|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CWPXxTSPrkwC&pg=PA51&dq=(dog)+(penis%7Cbaculum%7Cmating)&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TzwUUdO4FsqK0QHs24GwAg&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAQ#v=snippet&q=%22the%20breeding%20act%22&f=false|accessdate=7 February 2013|date=3 October 2008|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-7641-3887-4|pages=51–}}</ref>
* '''Prostitution:''' There are reports that animals occasionally engage in ]. A small number of pair-bonded females within a group of penguins took nesting material (stones) after copulating with a non-partner male. The researcher stated "I was watching opportunistically, so I can't give an exact figure of how common it really is."<ref>{{cite news |title= Penguins are turning to prostitution |publisher= BBC |date= 26 February 1998 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/60302.stm |access-date= 12 June 2008 |archive-date= 6 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170806115308/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/60302.stm |url-status= live }}</ref> It has been reported that "bartering of meat for sex ... forms part of the social fabric of a troop of wild chimps living in the Tai National Park in the Côte d'Ivoire."<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/sex-for-meat-ndash-how-chimps-seduce-their-mates-1665356.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/sex-for-meat-ndash-how-chimps-seduce-their-mates-1665356.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |location= London |work= The Independent |first= Steve |last= Connor |title= Sex for meat – how chimps seduce their mates |date= 8 April 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* '''Pavlovian conditioning:''' The sexualisation of objects or locations is recognised in the animal breeding world. For example, male animals may become ] upon visiting a location where they have been allowed to have sex before, or upon seeing a stimulus previously associated with sexual activity such as an ].<ref name="animal ethics council">{{cite journal |author=Det Dyreetiske Råd |year=2006 |title=Udtalelse om menneskers seksuelle omgang med dyr |url=http://www.justitsministeriet.dk/fileadmin/downloads/Pressemeddelelser2006/d.pdf |url-status=dead |journal= |publisher=Justitsministeriet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227144357/http://www.justitsministeriet.dk/fileadmin/downloads/Pressemeddelelser2006/d.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2012 |quote='Selv om det evolutionsmæssige formål med at parre sig kan siges at være reproduktion, er det ikke selve det, at dyrene får afkom, der i første omgang får dem til at parre sig. Det er til gengæld sandsynligt, at de parrer sig, fordi de er motiverede for selve parringsakten, og at denne er forbundet med en positiv oplevelse. Det er derfor rimeligt at antage, at der er en eller anden form for behag eller tilfredsstillelse forbundet med akten. Denne antagelse bekræftes af adfærden hos handyr, der for mange arters vedkommende er parate til at arbejde for at få adgang til hundyr, især hvis hundyret er i brunst, og handyr der i avlsøjemed er vant til at få tappet sæd – de viser stor ivrighed, når det udstyr, de forbinder med sædopsamlingen, tages frem.' 'Although the evolutionary purpose of mating can be said to be reproduction, it is not the very fact that animals have offspring that causes them to mate in the first place. Rather, it is likely that they mate because they are motivated by the act of mating itself and that this is associated with a positive experience. It is therefore reasonable to assume that there is some form of pleasure or satisfaction associated with the act. This assumption is confirmed by the behaviour of male animals, which for many species are prepared to work to gain access to females, especially if the female is in heat, and male animals which for breeding purposes are used to having their semen collected - they show great eagerness when the equipment they associate with semen collection is taken out.'}}</ref> Sexual preferences for certain cues can be artificially induced in rats by pairing scents or objects with their early sexual experiences.<ref name="pfaus">{{cite journal | author1 = Pfaus, J. G.|author2= Kippin, T. E.|author3= Coria-Avila, G. A.|author4= Gelez, H.|author5= Afonso, V. M.|author6= Ismail, N.|author7= Parada, M. | year = 2012 | title = Who, what, where, when (and maybe even why)? How the experience of sexual reward connects sexual desire, preference, and performance | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 41 | issue = 1 | pages = 31–62 | doi=10.1007/s10508-012-9935-5 | pmid=22402996|s2cid= 12421026}}</ref> The primary motivation of this behaviour is ], and the association is due to a conditioned response (or association) formed with a distinctive "reward".<ref name="pfaus" />
* '''Viewing images:''' A study using four adult male rhesus macaques (''Macaca mulatta'') showed that male ]s will give up a highly valued item, juice, to see images of the faces or ] of high-status females.<ref name="Deaner, Khera, Platt, 2005">{{cite journal|journal=Current Biology |author1=Deaner M. O. |author2=Khera A. V. |author3=Platt M. L. |year=2005 |title=Monkeys pay per view: adaptive valuation of social images by rhesus macaques |volume=15 |pages=543–548 |pmid=15797023 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2005.01.044 |issue=6 |s2cid=1746276 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2005CBio...15..543D }}</ref> Encouraging captive ] to mate is problematic. Showing young male pandas "]" is credited with a recent population boom among pandas in captivity in China. One researcher attributed the success to the sounds on the recordings.<ref>Gray, Denis D. (27 November 2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504203352/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15852885 |date=4 May 2020 }}. Associated Press (via NBC News). Retrieved on 22 December 2011.</ref>
* '''Copulatory wounding and ]''': Injury to a partner's genital tract during mating occurs in at least 40 taxa, ranging from fruit flies to humans. However, it often goes unnoticed due to its cryptic nature and because of internal wounds not visible outside.<ref>Klaus Reinhardt, Nils Anthes, and Rolanda Lange (2015) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111021916/http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/content/7/5/a017582.abstract?etoc |date=11 January 2016 }} ''Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol'' 2015; 7: a017582</ref>


===Non-reproductive sexual behaviour===
Red foxes reproduce once a year in spring. The vixen's oestrus period lasts 3 weeks,<ref name="h417">{{Harvnb|Harris|Yalden|2008|p=417}}</ref> during which the dog-foxes mate with the vixens for several days, often in burrows. {{anchor|Copulation}} ] is accompanied by a ] which may last for more than an hour.<ref name="h417"/> The copulatory tie occurs when the ] at the base of the male fox's penis enlarges.<ref name="FeldhamerThompson2003">{{cite book|author1=George A. Feldhamer|author2=Bruce C. Thompson|author3=Joseph A. Chapman|title=Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=-xQalfqP7BcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=red%20fox%20penis&f=false|accessdate=28 March 2013|date=21 October 2003|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=978-0-8018-7416-1}}</ref> Though foxes are largely ], DNA evidence from one population indicated large levels of ], ] and mixed paternity litters.<ref name="h417"/> Subordinate vixens may become pregnant, but usually fail to whelp, or have their kits killed postpartum by either the dominant female or other subordinates.<ref name="h418">{{Harvnb|Harris|Yalden|2008|pp=418–19}}</ref>
{{Main|Non-reproductive sexual behaviour in animals}}


There is a range of behaviours that animals perform that appear to be sexually motivated but which can not result in reproduction. These include:
====Golden jackal====
The golden jackal's courtship rituals are remarkably long, during which the breeding pair remains almost constantly together.<ref name="e402">{{Cite document|last=Estes|first=Richard|url=|title=The behavior guide to African mammals: including hoofed mammals, carnivores, primates|publisher=University of California Press|year=1992|isbn=0-520-08085-8|ref=harv|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> The mating process may last 26–28 days. In Transcaucasia, ] begins in early February, and occasionally late January during warm winters. ] in males occurs 10–12 days before the females enter estrus and, during this time, males' ]s triple in weight. Estrus lasts for three to four days, and females failing to mate during this time will undergo a loss of receptivity which lasts six to eight days. Females undergoing their first estrus are often pursued by several males, which will quarrel amongst themselves.<ref name="h154">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Naumov|1998|pp=154–155}}</ref> Prior to mating, the pair patrols and ]s its territory. Copulation is preceded by the female holding her tail out and angled in such a way that the genitalia are exposed. The two approach each other, whimpering, lifting their tails and bristling their fur, displaying varying intensities of offensive and defensive behaviour. The female sniffs and licks the male's genitals, whilst the male nuzzles the female's fur. They may circle each other and fight briefly.<ref name="e402"/> The male then proceeds to lick the female's vulva, and repeatedly mounts her without ] or ]. Actual copulation takes place days later, and continues for about a week.<ref name="e402"/> The ] lasts 20–45 minutes in Eurasia,<ref name="h154"/> while in Africa it lasts roughly four minutes.<ref name="e402"/> Toward the end of estrus, the pair drifts apart, with the female often approaching the male in a more submissive manner than before. In anticipation of the role he will take in raising pups, the male ]s{{disambiguation needed|date=September 2012}} or surrenders any food he has to the female.<ref name="e403">{{Harvnb|Estes|1992|p=403}}</ref>


* ]: Some species, both male and female, masturbate, both when partners are available and otherwise.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Würsig |first=Bernd |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sex_in_Cetaceans/mfjYEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA164&printsec=frontcover |title=Sex in Cetaceans: Morphology, Behavior, and the Evolution of Sexual Strategies |last2=Orbach |first2=Dara N. |date=2023-09-25 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-35651-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Watson1978">{{cite book |author= Watson, P. F. |title= Artificial breeding of non-domestic animals: (the proceedings of a symposium held at the Zoological Society of London on 7 and 8 September 1977) |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kY8sZ7h4AEMC |access-date= 9 February 2013 |year= 1978 |publisher= Academic Press for the Zoological Society of London |isbn= 978-0-12-613343-1}}</ref><ref name="Balcombe2011">{{cite book |author= Balcombe, Jonathan P. |author-link=Jonathan Balcombe |title= The Exultant Ark: A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasure |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tz9mSyTWh0oC&pg=PA89 |year= 2011 |publisher= University of California Press |isbn= 978-0-520-26024-5 |pages= 89–}}</ref>
====Gray wolf====
* ]: Several species engage in both ] and oral sex. This has been documented in ]s,<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714202344/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/17/brown-bear-oral-sex_n_5500255.html |date=14 July 2014 }} By: Grenoble, Ryan.</ref> ],<ref name="Ogawa2006">{{cite book |author= Hideshi Ogawa |title= Wily Monkeys: Social Intelligence of Tibetan Macaques |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EaKFLgm1TMUC&q=%22penis%22&pg=PA4 |year= 2006 |publisher= Kyoto University Press |isbn= 978-1-920901-97-4 |pages= 4–}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite journal |author= Fox, M. W. |jstor= 1379064 |title= The Social Significance of Genital Licking in the Wolf, ''Canis lupus'' |journal= Journal of Mammalogy |year= 1972 |pages= 637–640 |volume=53 |issue= 3 |doi=10.2307/1379064}}</ref> ]s, ]s, ]s,<ref>Sugita, Norimasa. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106062052/http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0166024 |date=6 November 2017 }} PLOS One 11.11 (2016): e0166024.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
The gray wolf is generally ], with mated pairs usually remaining together for life, unless one of the pair dies. Upon the death of one mated wolf, pairs are quickly re-established. Since males often predominate in any given wolf population, unpaired females are a rarity.<ref name="s248">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Naumov|1998|p=248}}</ref> If a dispersing male wolf is unable to establish a territory or find a mate, he mates with the daughters of already established breeding pairs from other packs. Such wolves are termed "] wolves" and, unlike males from established packs, they do not form ]s with the females they mate with. Some wolf packs may have multiple breeding females this way, as is the case in ].<ref>Smith, Douglas W. (2006) ''Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone'', Lyons Press, ISBN 1-59228-886-3</ref>
| last1 = Tan | first1 = M.
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| last7 = Zhang | first7 = S.
| last8 = Zhang | first8 = L.
| editor1-last = Hosken
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| doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0007595
| title = Fellatio by Fruit Bats Prolongs Copulation Time
| journal = PLOS ONE
| volume = 4
| issue = 10
| pages = e7595
| year = 2009
| pmid = 19862320
| pmc =2762080
|bibcode = 2009PLoSO...4.7595T | doi-access = free
}}</ref> ]s<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Waterman | first1 = J. M. | editor1-last = Briffa | editor1-first = Mark | title = The Adaptive Function of Masturbation in a Promiscuous African Ground Squirrel | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0013060 | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 5 | issue = 9 | pages = e13060 | year = 2010 | pmid = 20927404| pmc =2946931 |bibcode = 2010PLoSO...513060W | doi-access = free }}</ref> and ]. In the ], copulation by males is dorsoventral and the females lick the shaft or the base of the male's penis, but not the glans which has already penetrated the vagina. While the females do this, the penis is not withdrawn and research has shown a positive relationship between length of the time that the penis is licked and the duration of copulation. Post copulation genital grooming has also been observed.<ref name="plos">{{cite journal |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0007595 |last= Tan |first= Min |author2= Gareth Jones |author3= Guangjian Zhu |author4= Jianping Ye |author5= Tiyu Hong |author6= Shanyi Zhou |author7= Shuyi Zhang |author8= Libiao Zhang |date= 28 October 2009 |title= Fellatio by Fruit Bats Prolongs Copulation Time |pages= e7595 |journal= PLOS ONE |volume= 4 |issue= 10 |pmid= 19862320 |pmc= 2762080 |bibcode= 2009PLoSO...4.7595T |editor1-last= Hosken |editor1-first= David|doi-access= free }}</ref>
* ]: Same-sex sexual behaviour occurs in a range of species, especially in social species, particularly in marine birds and mammals, monkeys, and the ]. {{as of|1999}}, the scientific literature contained reports of homosexual behaviour in at least 471 wild species.<ref>{{cite book |ref= Bagemihl |author= Bagemihl, Bruce |year= 1999 |title= Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity |url= https://archive.org/details/biologicalexuber00bage |url-access= registration |publisher= St. Martin's Press | page = }}</ref> Organisers of the ] exhibit stated that "homosexuality has been observed among 1,500 species, and that in 500 of those it is well documented."<ref name="Oslo">{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6066606.stm |title= Oslo gay animal show draws crowds |access-date= 19 October 2006 |date= 19 October 2006 |work= BBC News |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061029010417/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6066606.stm |archive-date= 29 October 2006 |url-status= live}}</ref>


] mounts a female that has been dead for two days and attempts to mate.<ref name="sazima">{{cite journal | author = Sazima, I. | year = 2015 | title = Corpse bride irresistible: a dead female tegu lizard (''Salvator merianae'') courted by males for two days at an urban park in South-eastern Brazil | journal = Herpetology Notes | volume = 8 | pages = 15–18 | url = http://www.biotaxa.org/hn/article/download/9131/11610 | access-date = 24 February 2015 | archive-date = 23 February 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150223235749/http://www.biotaxa.org/hn/article/download/9131/11610 | url-status = live }}</ref>]]
The age of first breeding in wolves depends largely on environmental factors: when food is plentiful, or when wolf populations are heavily managed, wolves can rear pups at younger ages in order to better exploit abundant resources. This is further demonstrated by the fact that captive wolves have been known to breed as soon as they reach 9–10 months, while the youngest recorded breeding wolves in the wild were 2 years old. ] typically occurs in late winter, with older, multiparous females entering estrus 2–3 weeks earlier than younger females.<ref name="s248"/> When ], the female averts the base of her tail to one side, exposing the ].<ref name="MechBoitani2003" /> During mating, the pair is locked into a ],<ref name="Mech2003">{{cite book|author=L. David Mech|title=The Wolves of Minnesota: Howl in the Heartland|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=TVJV4hJ8-xgC&pg=PA77&dq=wolf+mating+penis&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0G3GUPOsIeqP0QGoxoHADw&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=wolf%20mating%20penis&f=false|accessdate=10 December 2012|date=1 July 2003|publisher=Voyageur Press|isbn=978-0-89658-509-6|pages=77–}}</ref><ref name="Corporation2010">{{cite book|author=Marshall Cavendish Corporation|title=Mammal Anatomy: An Illustrated Guide|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mTPI_d9fyLAC&pg=PA252&dq=wolf+mating+penis&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0G3GUPOsIeqP0QGoxoHADw&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=wolf%20mating%20penis&f=false|accessdate=10 December 2012|date=1 September 2010|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-7882-9|pages=252–}}</ref><ref name="MechBoitani2003">{{cite book|author1=L. David Mech|author2=Luigi Boitani|title=Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_mXHuSSbiGgC&pg=PA44&dq=wolf+copulatory+tie&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sM63UJvsDqrO0QHbhYCwDg&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=wolf%20copulatory%20tie&f=false|accessdate=10 December 2012|date=23 November 2003|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-51696-7|pages=44–}}</ref> which may last 5–36 minutes. The copulatory tie is caused by the swelling of ] inside the female's vulva.<ref name = "Corporation2010" /> Wolves are able to separate from a copulatory tie more readily than domestic dogs.<ref name="Busch2007">{{cite book|author=Robert H. Busch|title=The Wolf Almanac: Celebration of Wolves and Their World|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=iUVJsGY9Q-8C&pg=PA79&dq=wolf+copulatory+tie&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sM63UJvsDqrO0QHbhYCwDg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=wolf%20copulatory%20tie&f=false|accessdate=10 December 2012|date=1 August 2007|publisher=Globe Pequot|isbn=978-1-59921-069-8|pages=79–}}</ref> Because estrus in wolves lasts only a month, male wolves do not abandon their mates to find other females to ] as dogs do.
* ]: This is sexual activity in which one animal rubs his or her genitals against the genitals of another animal. This is stated to be the "bonobo's most typical sexual pattern, undocumented in any other primate".<ref name="songweaver">{{cite journal |author= de Waal FB |title= Bonobo sex and society |journal= ] |volume= 272 |issue= 3 |pages= 82–8 |year= 1995 |pmid= 7871411 |quote= Perhaps the bonobo's most typical sexual pattern, undocumented in any other primate, is genito-genital rubbing (or GG rubbing) between adult females. One female facing another clings with arms and legs to a partner that, standing on both hands and feet, lifts her off the ground |doi= 10.1038/scientificamerican0395-82|bibcode= 1995SciAm.272c..82W }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Paoli | first1 = T.
| last2 = Palagi | first2 = E.
| last3 = Tacconi | first3 = G.
| last4 = Tarli | first4 = S. B.
| title = Perineal swelling, intermenstrual cycle, and female sexual behavior in bonobos (''Pan paniscus'')
| doi = 10.1002/ajp.20228
| journal = American Journal of Primatology
| volume = 68
| issue = 4
| pages = 333–347
| year = 2006
| pmid = 16534808
| s2cid = 25823290
}}</ref>
* ]: Some animals opportunistically mate with individuals of another species.<ref>Walker, Matt (2 May 2008) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503124111/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7379554.stm |date=3 May 2008 }}. BBC News. Retrieved on 15 February 2011.</ref>
* ]: Male ]s (''Mustela erminea'') will sometimes mate with infant females of their species.<ref>{{cite journal |author = Doncarlos, Michael W. |author2=Petersen, Jay S. |author3=Tilson, Ronald L. |title= Captive biology of an asocial mustelid; ''Mustela erminea'' |journal= Zoo Biology |volume= 5 |issue= 4 |pages= 363–370 |year= 1986 |doi= 10.1002/zoo.1430050407 }}</ref> This is a natural part of their reproductive biology—they have a ] period, so these females give birth the following year when they are fully grown. Juvenile male ]s have been recorded mounting and copulating with immature chimps. Infants in ] societies are often involved in sexual behaviour.<ref name=ancestor>{{cite book |last= Dawkins |first= Richard |author-link= Richard Dawkins |title= The Ancestor's Tale |year= 2004 |publisher= Houghton Mifflin |chapter= Chimpanzees |isbn= 978-1-155-16265-2}}</ref>
* ]: This describes when an animal engages in a sexual act with a dead animal. It has been observed in mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs.<ref>{{cite journal | author1 = de Mattos Brito, L. B. | author2 = Joventino, I. R. | author3 = Ribeiro, S. C. | author4 = Cascon, P. | year = 2012 | title = Necrophiliac behavior in the "cururu" toad, ''Rhinella jimi'' Steuvax, 2002, (Anura, Bufonidae) from Northeastern Brazil | journal = North-Western Journal of Zoology | volume = 8 | issue = 2 | page = 365 | url = http://biozoojournals.ro/nwjz/content/v8n2/nwjz.121206.Brito.pdf | access-date = 5 February 2015 | archive-date = 5 February 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150205233901/http://biozoojournals.ro/nwjz/content/v8n2/nwjz.121206.Brito.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>
* ]: This describes when an animal shows sexual behaviour towards both males and females.
* ]: This is when females mate with males outside of their conceptive period.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thornhill|first1=R.|last2=Gangestad|first2=S. W.|title=The Evolutionary Biology of Human Female Sexuality|url=https://archive.org/details/evolutionarybiol00thor|url-access=limited|date=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=USA|pages=–55}}</ref><ref name="Fürtbauer-2011" />


====Seahorse====
{{anchor|Spotted hyena}}
]s, once considered to be monogamous species with pairs mating for life, were described in a 2007 study as "promiscuous, flighty, and more than a little bit gay".<ref name="seahorses">Simon De Bruxelles {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703193305/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article1966259.ece |date=3 July 2014 }}. Timesonline.co.uk. 31 January 2007. Retrieved on 22 December 2011.</ref> Scientists at 15 ] studied 90 seahorses of three species. Of 3,168 sexual encounters, 37% were same-sex acts. Flirting was common (up to 25 potential partners a day of both sexes); only one species (the British spiny seahorse) included faithful representatives, and for these 5 of 17 were faithful, 12 were not. Bisexual behaviour was widespread and considered "both a great surprise and a shock", with big-bellied seahorses of both sexes not showing partner preference. 1,986 contacts were male-female, 836 were female-female and 346 were male-male.<ref name="seahorses"/>
====Spotted hyenas====
The female ] has ], closely resembling the penis of the male, called a ]. The family structure is matriarchal and dominance relationships with strong sexual elements are routinely observed between related females. They are notable for using visible sexual arousal as a sign of ''submission'' and not ''dominance'',<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00170251|author= East, Marion L.; Hofer, Heribert and Wickler, Wolfgang |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology|year=1993|volume =33|issue =6|pages=355–370 |title=The erect 'penis' is a flag of submission in a female-dominated society: greetings in Serengeti spotted hyenas|doi=10.1007/BF00170251}}</ref> in males as well as females (females have a sizable erectile ]), to the extent that biologist ] speculates that in order to facilitate this, their ] and ] nervous systems may be partially reversed in respect to their reproductive organs.<ref>Sapolsky (1998), Why Zebras don't get Ulcers, W.H. Freeman and Co., ISBN 0-7167-3210-6, pp. 127–129.</ref>
The spotted hyena is a non-seasonal breeder, though a birth peak does occur during the ]. Females are polyestrus, with an ] period lasting two weeks.<ref name="k27">{{Cite document|last=Kruuk|first=Hans|title=The Spotted Hyena: A Study of Predation and Social Behaviour|publisher=University of California Press|year=1972|isbn=0226455084|ref=harv}}
</ref> Like many ] species, the spotted hyena is ], and no enduring ]s are formed. Members of both sexes may copulate with several mates over the course of several years.<ref name="courtship">Szykman. M., Van Horn, R. C., Engh, A.L. Boydston, E. E. & Holekamp, K. E. (2007) ''''. Behaviour. 144: 815–846.</ref> Males will show submissive behaviour when approaching females in heat, even if the male outweighs its partner.<ref name="k27"/> Females usually favour younger males born or joined into the clan after they were born. Older females show a similar preference, with the addition of preferring males with whom they have had long and friendly prior relationships.<ref>.</ref> Passive males tend to have greater success in courting females than aggressive ones.<ref>.</ref> Copulation in spotted hyenas is a relatively short affair, which typically only occurs at night with no other hyenas present.<ref name="k27"/> The mating process is complicated, as the female's reproductive tract is entered and exited through her pseudo-penis rather than directly through the ], which is blocked by the false scrotum and testes. Once the female retracts her clitoris, the male enters the female by sliding beneath her, an operation facilitated by the penis' upward angle. Once this is accomplished, a ] is adopted.<ref name="courtship"/><ref name="e293">{{Cite document|last=Estes|first=Richard|title=The safari companion: a guide to watching African mammals, including hoofed mammals, carnivores, and primates|publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing|year=1998|isbn=1-890132-44-6|ref=harv}}</ref>


====Bonobo====
] is a moderately large, terrestrial carnivore native to ].]]
Among ]s, males and females ] with the same and the opposite sex, with females being particularly noted for engaging in sexual behaviour with each other and at up to 75% of sexual activity being non-reproductive, as being sexually active does not necessarily correlate with their ovulation cycles.<ref name="songweaver" /> Sexual activity occurs between almost all ages and sexes of bonobo societies.<ref>{{Cite journal
The family structure of the Spotted Hyena is ], and dominance relationships with strong sexual elements are routinely observed between related females. Due largely to the female spotted hyena's unique ], early naturalists thought hyenas were ] males who commonly practiced ].<ref name="Like mother, like cubs">{{cite web
| doi = 10.1159/000155465
| title= Like mother, like cubs: Hyena alpha moms jumpstart cubs with hormonal jolt
| last1 = Zihlman | first1 = A. L.
| publisher=]
| last2 = Hunter | first2 = W. S.
| year=2006
| title = A biomechanical interpretation of the pelvis of Australopithecus
| url=http://hyenas.zoology.msu.edu/crocuta/hyena_research_overview.html
| journal = Folia Primatologica
| accessdate = 2007-09-11 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070629155747/http://hyenas.zoology.msu.edu/crocuta/hyena_research_overview.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-06-29}}</ref> Early writings such as ]'s '']'' and the '']'' suggested that the hyena continually changed its sex and nature from male to female and back again. In '']'', Clement of Alexandria noted that the ] (along with the ]) was "quite obsessed with sexual intercourse." Many Europeans associated the hyena with sexual deformity, prostitution, deviant sexual behavior, and even witchcraft.
| volume = 18
| issue = 1
| pages = 1–19
| year = 1972
| pmid = 4658666}}</ref><ref name="Hashimoto-1997">{{Cite journal|last=Hashimoto|first=Chie|date=1997|title=Context and Development of Sexual Behavior of Wild Bonobos (''Pan paniscus'') at Wamba, Zaire|journal=International Journal of Primatology|volume=18|issue=1|pages=1–21|doi=10.1023/a:1026384922066|s2cid=22744816|issn=0164-0291}}</ref> Primatologist Frans de Waal believes that bonobos use sexual activity to resolve conflict between individuals.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Clay|first1=Zanna|last2=de Waal|first2=Frans B.M|date=2014|title=Sex and strife: post-conflict sexual contacts in bonobos|url=https://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/publications/articles/Clay_deWaal_2014.pdf|journal=Behaviour|volume=152|issue=3–4|pages=313–334|doi=10.1163/1568539X-00003155|access-date=18 November 2018|archive-date=5 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205143402/http://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/publications/articles/Clay_deWaal_2014.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Immature bonobos, contrariwise, perform genital contact when relaxed.<ref name="Hashimoto-1997" />


'''Macaque'''
The reality behind the confusing reports is the sexually aggressive behavior between the females, including mounting between females. Research has shown that "in contrast to most other female mammals, female '']'' are male-like in appearance, larger than males, and substantially more aggressive,"<ref name="Research: Spotted Hyena - Introduction">{{cite web
| last =Holekamp
| first =Kay E.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title=Research: Spotted Hyena - Introduction and Overview
| publisher=], Department of ]
| year=2003
| url=http://hyenas.zoology.msu.edu/crocuta/hyena_research_overview.html
| accessdate = 2007-09-11 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070629155747/http://hyenas.zoology.msu.edu/crocuta/hyena_research_overview.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-06-29}}</ref> and they have "been ] without being ].”<ref name="Like mother, like cubs"/>


Similar same-sex sexual behaviours occur in both male and female macaques.<ref name="Leca-2014">{{Cite journal|last1=Leca|first1=Jean-Baptiste|last2=Gunst|first2=Noëlle|last3=Vasey|first3=Paul L.|date=2014-05-28|title=Male Homosexual Behavior in a Free-Ranging All-Male Group of Japanese Macaques at Minoo, Japan|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume=43|issue=5|pages=853–861|doi=10.1007/s10508-014-0310-6|pmid=24867180|s2cid=30375191|issn=0004-0002}}</ref> It is thought to be done for pleasure as an erect male mounts and thrusts upon or into another male.<ref name="Leca-2014" /><ref name="Wallen-1997">{{Cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13238242 |pmid=10051894 |access-date=2018-11-18|year=1997 |last1=Wallen |first1=K. |title=Sexual behavior in same-sexed nonhuman primates: Is it relevant to understanding human homosexuality? |journal=Annual Review of Sex Research |volume=8 |pages=195–223 |last2=Parsons |first2=W. A.|doi=10.1080/10532528.1997.10559922 }}</ref> Sexual receptivity can also be indicated by red faces and shrieking.<ref name="Leca-2014" /> Mutual ejaculation after a combination of anal intercourse and masturbation has also been witnessed, although it may be rare.<ref name="Wallen-1997" /> In comparison to socio-sexual behaviours such as dominance displays, homosexual mounts last longer, happen in series, and usually involve pelvic thrusting.<ref name="Leca-2014" />
Study of this unique genitalia and aggressive behavior in the female hyena has led to the understanding that more aggressive females are better able to compete for resources, including food and mating partners.<ref name="Like mother, like cubs"/><ref name="Top Dogs: Steroid hormones">{{cite web
| last =Selim
| first =Jocelyn
| title=Top Dogs: Steroid hormones give hyenas a head start.
| publisher=]
| date=2006-04-28
| url=http://discovermagazine.com/2006/apr/hormone-hyenas
| accessdate = 2007-09-11}}</ref> Research has shown that "elevated levels of ] ]"<ref name="Sexual Dimorphism of Perineal"/> contribute to extra aggressiveness; both males and females mount members of both the same and opposite sex,<ref name="Sexual Dimorphism of Perineal">{{cite journal
| doi =10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19961111)375:2<333::AID-CNE11>3.0.CO;2-W
| last =Forger
| first =Nancy G.
| coauthors =Laurence G. Frank, S. Marc Breedlove, Stephen E. Glickman
| title=Sexual Dimorphism of Perineal Muscles and Motoneurons in Spotted Hyenas
| journal=The Journal of Comparative Neurology
| date=6 December 1998, | volume = 375
| page =333| issue = 2 , Pages 333 – 343
| url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19961111)375:2%3C333::AID-CNE11%3E3.0.CO;2-W
| accessdate = 2007-09-11
| pmid=8915834}}</ref><ref name="Wilson, Sexing the Hyena">{{cite journal
| title=Wilson, Sexing the Hyena - "The males mount each other"
| publisher=]
| date=
| url=http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?SIGNS032803
| accessdate = 2007-09-11}}</ref> who in turn are possibly acting more ] because of lower levels of testosterone in utero.<ref name="Research: Spotted Hyena - Introduction"/>


Females are also thought to participate for pleasure as vulvar, perineal, and anal stimulation is part of these interactions. The stimulation can come from their own tails, mounting their partner, thrusting or a combination of these.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6747847|title=Sexual Reward via Vulvar, Perineal, and Anal Stimulation: A Proximate Mechanism for Female Homosexual Mounting in Japanese Macaques {{!}} Request PDF|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume=35|issue=5|pages=523–532|language=en|access-date=2018-11-18|doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9111-x|pmid=17048107|year=2006|last1=Vasey|first1=Paul L.|last2=Duckworth|first2=Nadine|s2cid=24498074}}</ref>
====Sheep====
{{anchor|Sheep}}
An October 2003 study<ref name="PubMedCitation" /> by Dr. Charles E. Roselli et al. (]) states that homosexuality in male sheep (found in 8% of rams) is associated with a region in the rams' brains which the authors call the "]" (oSDN) which is half the size of the corresponding region in other male sheep. However, some view this study to be flawed in that the determination of homosexuality within the sheep, (sample population of twenty-seven for the study), was to have animals who were unable to mount female ewes placed in a cage with two stanchioned males and two unstanchioned females (that is, the males could not move or struggle while the females could). Given the aggressive nature of the sheep copulation, the uneven treatment of males and females, many see this as simply evidence that the sheep in question were unable to be aggressive enough to mount females. Some say that the results were situational sexuality, unlike the bonds seen in human homosexuality. The scientists found that, "The oSDN in rams that preferred females was significantly larger and contained more ] than in male-oriented rams and ewes. In addition, the oSDN of the female-oriented rams expressed higher levels of ], a substance that converts ] to ], an ] ] believed to facilitate typical male sexual behaviours. ] expression was no different between male-oriented rams and ewes." "The dense cluster of neurons that comprise the oSDN express ] aromatase. Aromatase mRNA levels in the oSDN were significantly greater in female-oriented rams than in ewes, whereas male-oriented rams exhibited intermediate levels of expression." These results suggest that "...naturally occurring variations in sexual partner preferences may be related to differences in brain anatomy and its capacity for estrogen synthesis."<ref name="PubMedCitation" /> As noted previously, given the potential ingressiveness of the male population in question, the differing aromatase levels may also have been evidence of aggression levels, not sexuality. The results of this study have not been confirmed by others.


====Dolphin{{anchor|Bottlenose dolphin|Bottlenose dolphins}}====
====Neurochemistry====
Male ]s have been observed working in pairs to follow or restrict the movement of a female for weeks at a time, waiting for her to become sexually receptive. The same pairs have also been observed engaging in ]. Janet Mann, a professor of biology and psychology at Georgetown University, argues<ref name=”sfgate”>
{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612012603/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2004%2F02%2F07%2FMNG3N4RAV41.DTL |date=12 June 2012 }}. Sfgate.com (7 February 2004). Retrieved on 22 December 2011.</ref> that the common same-sex behaviour among male ] calves is about bond formation and benefits the species evolutionarily. Studies have shown the dolphins later in life are bisexual and the male bonds forged from homosexuality work for protection as well as locating females with which to reproduce.<ref name=”sfgate”/>


In 1991, an English man was prosecuted for allegedly having sexual contact with a dolphin.<ref name="freddy">{{cite news |title= 'Tougher laws' to protect friendly dolphins |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3322580/Tougher-laws-to-protect-friendly-dolphins.html |author= Unwin, Brian |date= 22 January 2008 |newspaper= ] |location= London |access-date= 4 April 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121227064311/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3322580/Tougher-laws-to-protect-friendly-dolphins.html |archive-date= 27 December 2012 |url-status= dead}}</ref> The man was found not guilty after it was revealed at trial that the dolphin was known to tow bathers through the water by hooking his penis around them.<ref name="freddy"/>
], called the hormone of love, is found in the ] of the mammalian brain and is associated with the ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships as well as physiological changes during reproduction. These changes include stimulation of the mammary glands to release milk, and assists in contracting the uterus during the final stages of childbirth.<ref name="HORMONE">{{cite web|title=Hormone Involved in Reproduction|url=http://oxytocin.org/oxytoc/index.html|work=oxytocin.org}}</ref> Oxytocin may also be the biological reason why mothers feel a need to cuddle and protect young.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Marilyn|title=Maternal Instincts|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=1997-11-02|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-11-02/features/9711020071_1_cortisol-mother-nature-hormones}}</ref> Some studies have indicated that women who experience strong positive emotions also have an increase in oxytocin release.<ref name="HORMONE"/> ], also called antidiuretic hormorne (ADH), is another hormone found in the Hypothalamus. Vasopressin is responsible for regulating blood volume and salt concentration. Oxytocin and vasopressin are also involved in parenting habits as they contribute to feelings of protection and evoke spending time raising young.<ref name=bear>{{cite book|last=Bear|first=Mark F.|title=Neuroscience, exploring the brain|year=2007|publisher=Lippincott Williams and Wilkins|location=Baltimore, MD|pages=544–545|isbn=0781760038}}</ref>


====Hyena====
=====Role of neurohormones in two species of vole's mating styles=====
The female ] has ], closely resembling the penis of the male, called a ]. Dominance relationships with strong sexual elements are routinely observed between related females. They are notable for using visible sexual arousal as a sign of submission but not dominance in males as well as females (females have a sizeable erectile ]).<ref>{{cite journal |author1=East, Marion L. |author2=Hofer, Heribert |author3=Wickler, Wolfgang |journal= Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |year= 1993 |volume= 33 |issue= 6 |pages= 355–370 |title= The erect 'penis' is a flag of submission in a female-dominated society: greetings in Serengeti spotted hyenas |doi= 10.1007/BF00170251|bibcode=1993BEcoS..33..355E |s2cid=23727803 }}</ref> It is speculated that to facilitate this, their ] and ] nervous systems may be partially reversed in respect to their reproductive organs.<ref>Sapolsky (1998), Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, W.H. Freeman and Co., {{ISBN|0-7167-3210-6}}, pp. 127–129.</ref>
The mating style of prairie voles is ]. After a male and female prairie vole sexually reproduces with one another, they form a lifelong bond. Montane voles, on the other hand, exhibit a ] mating style. When montane voles fornicate, they form no attachments—each set-off and go their separate way after copulation. Studies on the brains of these two species of voles have found that it is two neurohormones and their respective receptors that are responsible for these differences in mating strategies. Male prairie voles emit vasopressin after copulating with a female prairie vole. An attachment to the female then ensues. Female prairie voles will release oxytocin after reproducing with a male prairie vole. An attachment to this male prairie vole likewise ensues. In montane voles—both males and females—such a high quantity of oxytocin and vasopressin does not exist in their brains when they mate. Even when injected with oxytocin or vasopressin the mating style of the montane vole does not change; contrast this to the prairie vole who, even without mating, may form a lifelong attachment to another prairie vole of the opposite sex, if oxytocin or vasopressin is injected into him or her. The reason for this is that prairie voles have more oxytocin and vasopressin receptors than do montane voles, and are thus far more receptive to the two neurohormones. It is not the quantity of the hormone that determine social attachment, mating bonds and sexual lust, but rather the number of receptors receptive to that quantity.<ref name=bear/>


=====Role of oxytocin in rat sexual behaviour===== ==Mating behaviour==
{{See also|Mating call}}
Oxytocin is also referred to as the love hormone because it plays such a large role in all the basic elements of life; copulation, birth, care and bonding. Oxytocin is released during pregnancy and surges after birth of mammalian young. This surge allows the animals to affectively bond with their young, care for them, as well as protect them from harm. Rats experience dual motivations as we will see shortly. Studies have shown that without oxytocin, rats will not experience this maternal behaviour which shows that oxytocin truly plays a role in the motherhood of rats.<ref>{{cite pmid|22129099}}</ref>


===Vertebrates===
Female rats show some interesting characteristics in regards to sexual behaviour. Mother rats may solicit male rats to their nest after the birth of their young. Mother rats show maternal instincts most heavily right after birth very similarly to the way humans do. This is referred to as postpartum estrus in rats. The female mother rats will solicit male rats to the nest but at the same time will become aggressive towards them in protection of her young. This shows that rats can carry on two completely opposite motivations at once and that the male rat is just a neutral stimulus. This is true of typical rats when they experience the normal levels of oxytocin, but if the rat is given injections of an oxytocin antagonist, they will no longer experience these maternal instincts (Kennet 2012). The lack of maternal behaviour points to the idea that oxytocin plays a large role in bonding as well.


====Mammals====
Studies show that bonding in rats is achieved through the secretion of prolactin. Prolactin also regulates a wide array of activities and feelings from stress to immunity. This prolactin is released largely after birth, during feeding of the young, mating, and the presence of ovarian steroids (Kennet 2012). This increase in prolactin has been shown to be regulated largely by oxytocin.
{{Further|Mammalian reproduction|Social monogamy in mammalian species}}


Mammals mate by vaginal copulation. To achieve this, the male usually mounts the female from behind.<ref>Dewsbury, Donald A. "Patterns of copulatory behavior in male mammals." Quarterly Review of Biology (1972): 1-33.</ref> The female may exhibit ] in which she arches her back ventrally to facilitate entry of the penis, which is particularly present in elephants, ], and rodents. Amongst the land mammals, other than humans, only bonobos mate in a face-to-face position,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cracked.com/article_15926_the-15-most-bizarre-animal-mating-rituals.html|title=The 15 most bizarre animal mating rituals|year=2008|author=Fortey, I.|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-date=18 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218180907/http://www.cracked.com/article_15926_the-15-most-bizarre-animal-mating-rituals.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2015}} as the females' anatomy seems to reflect,<ref name="songweaver" /> although ventro-ventral copulation has also been observed in ''].''<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ventro–ventral copulation in a rodent: a female initiative? {{pipe}} Journal of Mammalogy {{pipe}} Oxford Academic |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=96 |issue=5 |pages=1017–1023 |doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyv106 |year=2015 |last1=Dufour |first1=Claire M.-S. |last2=Pillay |first2=Neville |last3=Ganem |first3=Guila |doi-access=free }}</ref> Some sea mammals copulate in a belly-to-belly position.<ref name="ADW">{{cite web|title=''Tursiops aduncus'' Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin|url=http://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Tursiops%20aduncus.html|author=Diaz, K.|publisher=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=19 October 2016|archive-date=20 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020042349/http://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Tursiops%20aduncus.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Adul">{{cite journal|author1=Adulyanukosol, K.|author2= Thongsukdee, S.|author3= Hara, T.|author4= Arai, N.|author5=Tsuchiya, M.|year=2007|title=Observations of dugong reproductive behavior in Trang Province, Thailand: further evidence of intraspecific variation in dugong behavior|journal=Marine Biology|volume=151|issue=5|pages=1887–1891|doi=10.1007/s00227-007-0619-y|bibcode= 2007MarBi.151.1887A|s2cid= 86253387}}</ref> Some ]s mate in a lying-down position.<ref name=sandiegozoo>{{cite web | publisher = San Diego Zoo Global Library | title = Bactrian & Dromedary Camels | work = Factsheets | access-date = 4 December 2012 | date = March 2009 | url = http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/camel/camel.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120922092103/http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/camel/camel.htm | archive-date = 22 September 2012 | url-status = dead}}</ref> In most mammals ejaculation occurs after multiple intromissions,<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DfV-BwAAQBAJ&q=multiple%20intromission|date=16 April 2010|publisher=Elsevier Science|isbn=978-0-08-091455-8}}</ref> but in most primates, copulation consists of one brief intromission.<ref name="AltermanDoyle2013">{{cite book|author1=L. Alterman|author2=Gerald A. Doyle|author3=M.K. Izard|title=Creatures of the Dark|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0U_uBwAAQBAJ&q=copulation%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20thrusting|date=9 March 2013|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4757-2405-9}}</ref> In most ruminant species, a single ] occurs during copulation.<ref name="Noakes2009">{{cite book|author=David E. Noakes|title=Arthur's Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W5TdAwAAQBAJ&q=%22ejaculatory%20thrust%22|date=23 April 2009|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences UK|isbn=978-0-7020-3990-4|pages=714–}}</ref><ref name="BroomFraser2007">{{cite book|author1=Donald M. Broom|author2=Andrew Ferguson Fraser|title=Domestic Animal Behaviour and Welfare|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XcMielOfHAC&q=mating%20mounting%20thrusting&pg=PA156|date=1 January 2007|publisher=CABI|isbn=978-1-84593-287-9|pages=156–}}</ref> In most deer species, a copulatory jump also occurs.<ref name="Geist1998">{{cite book|author=Valerius Geist|title=Deer of the World: Their Evolution, Behaviour, and Ecology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bcWZX-IMEVkC&q=(copulation%20OR%20coital%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20copulatory%20OR%20precopulatory%20OR%20postcopulatory%20OR%20mounting%20OR%20ejaculation)&pg=PA26|date=January 1998|publisher=Stackpole Books|isbn=978-0-8117-0496-0|pages=72–}}</ref><ref name="ShackletonMuseum1999">{{cite book|author1=David M. Shackleton|author2=Royal British Columbia Museum|title=Hoofed Mammals of British Columbia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQq2iFktrwoC&q=(copulation%20OR%20coital%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20courtship%20OR%20copulatory%20OR%20precopulatory%20OR%20postcopulatory%20OR%20sexual%20OR%20mounting%20OR%20penis%20OR%20genitalia%20OR%20ejaculation)|year=1999|publisher=UBC Press|isbn=978-0-7748-0728-9}}</ref>
=====Role of oxytocin in primate sexual behaviour=====


During mating, a "copulatory tie" occurs in mammals such as ]s,<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1007/s00265-014-1701-3|title = Polyandrous mating in treetops: How male competition and female choice interact to determine an unusual carnivore mating system| journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology| volume=68| issue=6| pages=879–889|year = 2014|last1 = Lührs|first1 = Mia-Lana| last2=Kappeler| first2=Peter M.| bibcode=2014BEcoS..68..879L |s2cid = 7995708}}</ref> ]s with the exception of ],<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Dixson | first1 = A. F. | year = 1995 | title = Baculum length and copulatory behaviour in carnivores and pinnipeds (Grand Order Ferae) | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229990265 | journal = Journal of Zoology | volume = 235 | issue = 1 | pages = 67–76 | doi = 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1995.tb05128.x | access-date = 27 August 2020 | archive-date = 3 June 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160603121320/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alan_Dixson/publication/229990265_Baculum_length_and_copulatory-behavior_in_carnivores_and_pinnipeds_(Grand_Order_Ferae)/links/5565173508ae94e957205686.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> and ]s.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tatara | first1 = Masaya | year = 1994 | title = Notes on the breeding ecology and behavior of Japanese martens on Tsushima Islands, Japan | url = https://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=10&q=%22copulatory+(tie%7Clock)%22 | journal = Journal of the Mammalogical Society of Japan | volume = 19 | issue = 1 | pages = 67–74 | access-date = 27 June 2017 | archive-date = 8 May 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220508210752/https://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=10&q=%22copulatory+(tie%7Clock)%22 | url-status = live }}</ref> A "copulatory lock" also occurs in some primate species, such as ''].''<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Dixson | first1 = Alan F | year = 1987 | title = Baculum length and copulatory behavior in primates | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247964388| journal = American Journal of Primatology | volume = 13 | issue = 1| pages = 51–60 | doi = 10.1002/ajp.1350130107 | pmid = 31973483 | s2cid = 84028737 }}</ref>
Oxytocin plays a similar role in primates as it does in humans. The levels are increased heavily at birth and are maintained through the feeding and caring process. The hormones also play a role in the ability for monkeys to soothe their partners. When the monkey experiences a period of distress, the higher oxytocin monkeys were much more able to soothe their partners than monkeys who had lower levels of oxytocin.


The copulatory behaviour of many mammalian species is affected by ].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Møller | first1 = A. P. | last2 = Birkhead | first2 = T. R. | year = 1989 | title = Copulation behaviour in mammals: evidence that sperm competition is widespread | url = https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-pdf/38/2/119/14071594/j.1095-8312.1989.tb01569.x.pdf | journal = Biological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume = 38 | issue = 2| pages = 119–131 | doi = 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1989.tb01569.x}}</ref>
Similar to any human parent child relationship, the role of oxytocin in monkeys is much alike. The similarities between monkeys and humans are generally very obvious, and their care for their young is similar to ours. Oxytocin has much of the same affect, and most mammals experience these actions the same way. Additionally, there have been instances where monkeys have cared for human babies, and humans have cared for monkeys allowing for bonding to occur across species. At Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, a small toddler fell into a pit with the 500 pound gorillas. Much to everyone’s surprise the large gorilla picked up the toddler and protected her from harm until authorities came to help the child. This shows that the care that these apes have for their young is similar to ours, and also that the protection of young in general is a paramount part of their life cycle.<ref>{{cite pmid|20025881}}</ref>


Some females have concealed fertility, making it difficult for males to evaluate if a female is fertile - humans are amongst these species. This is costly as ejaculation expends much energy.<ref name="Fürtbauer-2011" />
The bonding process is also shown through the use of grooming, much like human parents and their children. Grooming, sex, and cuddling frequencies correlate positively with levels of oxytocin. As the level of oxytocin increases so does the interest in sex, and grooming. While oxytocin plays a major role in parent child relationships, it is also found to play a role in adult sexual relationships. Its secretion affects the nature of the relationship or if there will even be a relationship at all.


===Invertebrates===
Studies have shown that oxytocin is much higher in monkeys that are in lifelong monogamous relationships as opposed to monkeys which are single. Similarly the oxytocin levels of the couples correlated positively. When the oxytocin secretion of one increased the other one increased along with it. Higher levels of oxytocin also showed that monkeys exhibit more behaviours such as cuddling, grooming, and sex while lower levels of oxytocin mean less interest in these activities.
{{See also|Mating of gastropods}}
]s. The one on the left has fired a ] into the one on the right.]]
] releases sperm into the water.]]


Invertebrates are often ]s. Some hermaphroditic ]s begin mating with an elaborate tactile courting ritual. The two snails circle around each other for up to six hours, touching with their tentacles, and biting lips and the area of the genital pore, which shows some preliminary signs of the eversion of the penis. As the snails approach mating, hydraulic pressure builds up in the blood sinus surrounding an organ housing a sharpened dart. The dart is made of ] or ], and is called a ]. Each snail manoeuvres to get its genital pore in the best position, close to the other snail's body. Then, when the body of one snail touches the other snail's genital pore, it triggers the firing of the love dart.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1007/s002650100345 |title=Dart receipt promotes sperm storage in the garden snail Helix aspersa |year=2001 |last1=Rogers |first1=David |last2=Chase |first2=Ronald |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |volume=50 |issue=2 |pages=122–7|bibcode=2001BEcoS..50..122R |s2cid=813656 }}</ref> After the snails have fired their darts, they copulate and exchange sperm as a separate part of the mating progression. The love darts are covered with a mucus that contains a ]-like substance that facilitates the survival of the sperm.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Chase, R.| year=2007 |title=The function of dart shooting in helicid snails |journal=American Malacological Bulletin |volume=23 |pages=183–189 |doi=10.4003/0740-2783-23.1.183| s2cid=7562144 }}</ref><ref name="mcgill.ca">{{cite journal |author1=Chase, R. |author2=Blanchard, K. C. |year=2006 |url=https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/news/item/?item_id=19226 |title=The snail's love-dart delivers mucus to increase paternity |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences |volume=273 |number=1593 |pages=1471–1475 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2006.3474 |pmid=16777740 |pmc=1560308 |access-date=24 August 2017 |archive-date=18 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118063022/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/news/item/?item_id=19226 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Research on oxytocin's role in the animal brain{{}} suggests that it plays less of a role in behaviours of love and affection than previously believed. "When oxytocin was first discovered in 1909, it was thought mostly to influence a mother’s labor contractions and milk let-down. Then, in the 1990s, research with prairie voles found that giving them a dose of oxytocin resulted in the formation of a bond with their future mate (Azar, 40)." Oxytocin has since been treated by the media as the sole player in the "love and mating game" in mammals. This view, however, is proving to be false as, "most hormones don’t influence behaviour directly. Rather, they affect thinking and emotions in variable ways (Azar, 40)." There is much more involved in sexual behaviour in the mammalian animal than oxytocin and vasopressin can explain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lambert|first=K.|title=The Lab Rat Chronicles|year=2011|publisher=penguin group|location=New York|pages=151–172}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Azar|first=B.|title=Oxytocin's other side|url=http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/03/oxytocin.aspx|date=March 2011|volume=42|issue=3|page =40|journal=Science Watch}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02616.x}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|21195714}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Scott|first=Graham|title=Essential Animal Behavior|year=2004|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=0632057998|pages=166–197}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|21517149}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|22708956}}</ref>


] is a mating behaviour engaged in by certain species of ], such as '']''. Species which engage in the practice are hermaphroditic, possessing both eggs and sperm-producing testes.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.pbs.org/kcet/shapeoflife/episodes/hunt_explo2.html |title= Fighting to mate: flatworm penis fencing |author= Newman, Leslie |publisher= ] |access-date= 24 August 2017 |archive-date= 14 November 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131114002014/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/shapeoflife/episodes/hunt_explo2.html |url-status= live }}</ref> The species "fence" using two-headed dagger-like penises which are pointed, and white in colour. One organism inseminates the other. The sperm is absorbed through pores in the skin, causing fertilisation.
===Other vertebrates===


]s can be both ] (unisexual) and ], each of which can reproduce sexually and asexually. Reproduction also allows corals to settle new areas. Corals predominantly reproduce ]. 25% of ]s (stony corals) form single sex (]) colonies, while the rest are ].<ref name="Veron">{{cite book
====Seahorses====
| author = Veron, J.E.N.
{{main|Seahorse#Reproduction}}
| year = 2000
]s, long upheld as monogamous and mating for life, are identified as "promiscuous, flighty, and more than a little bit gay" according to research published in 2007.<ref name="seahorses">Simon De Bruxelles . Timesonline.co.uk. 31 January 2007. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.</ref>
| title = Corals of the World. Vol 3
| edition = 3rd
| publisher = Australian Institute of Marine Sciences and CRR Qld Pty Ltd.
| location = Australia
| isbn = 978-0-642-32236-4
}}</ref> About 75% of all hermatypic corals "broadcast spawn" by releasing ]s{{snd}} ] and ]{{snd}} into the water to spread offspring. The gametes fuse during fertilisation to form a microscopic ] called a ], typically pink and elliptical in shape.<ref name=Barnes99>
{{cite book
| last1= Barnes |first1=R. and |first2=R. |last2=Hughes
| year = 1999
| title = An Introduction to Marine Ecology
| edition = 3rd
| pages = 117–141
| publisher = Blackwell Science, Inc.
| location = Malden, MA
| isbn = 978-0-86542-834-8
}}</ref> ] is very typical on the coral reef and often, even when multiple ] are present, all corals spawn on the same night. This synchrony is essential so that male and female gametes can meet. Corals must rely on environmental cues, varying from species to species, to determine the proper time to release gametes into the water. The cues involve lunar changes, sunset time, and possibly chemical signalling.<ref name="Veron" /> Synchronous spawning may form hybrids and is perhaps involved in coral ].<ref name=Hatta>
{{cite journal
| author1 = Hatta, M.
| author2 = Fukami, H.
| author3 = Wang, W.
| author4 = Omori, M.
| author5 = Shimoike, K.
| author6 = Hayashibara, T.
| author7 = Ina, Y.
| author8 = Sugiyama, T.
| title=Reproductive and genetic evidence for a reticulate evolutionary theory of mass spawning corals
| journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution
| year=1999
| pages=1607–1613
| volume=16
| issue=11
| pmid=10555292
| doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026073
| doi-access=free
}}</ref>


Butterflies spend much time searching for mates. When the male spots a mate, he will fly closer and release ]s. He then performs a special ] to attract the female. If the female appreciates the dancing she may join him. Then they join their bodies together end to end at their ]s. Here, the male passes the sperm to the female's egg-laying tube, which will soon be fertilised by the sperm.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/13-strangest-and-most-unusual-sexual-behavior-among-the-animals/2/ |title= Chan Lee Peng, August 2008 |publisher= Scienceray.com |access-date= 5 March 2013 |archive-date= 1 February 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130201145720/http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/13-strangest-and-most-unusual-sexual-behavior-among-the-animals/2/ |url-status= live }}</ref>
Scientists at 15 ]s studied 90 seahorses of 3 ]. Of 3168 sexual encounters, 37% were same sex acts.<ref name="seahorses"/> Flirting was common (up to 25 potential partners a day of both sexes); only one species (the British Spiny Seahorse) included faithful representatives, and for these 5 of 17 were faithful, 12 were not.<ref name="seahorses"/> Bisexuality was widespread and considered "both a great surprise and a shock", with big-bellied seahorses of both sexes not showing partner preference.<ref name="seahorses"/> 1986 contacts were male-female, 836 were female-female and 346 were male-male.<ref name="seahorses"/>

====Birds====
{{main|Bird#Breeding}}
{{see also|List of birds displaying homosexual behavior}}
Some black swans of Australia form sexually active male-male mated pairs and steal nests, or form temporary threesomes with females to obtain eggs, driving away the female after she lays the eggs. More of their cygnets survive to adulthood than those of different-sex pairs possibly due to their superior ability to defend large portions of land.

In early February 2004 the '']'' reported that a male pair of ]s named ] in the ] in ] were partnered and had successfully hatched a female chick from an egg.<ref>{{Cite news
|last = Smith
|first = Dinitia
|title = Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name
|newspaper = ]
|location = New York
|date = 2004-02-07
|url = http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/07/arts/07GAY.html?pagewanted=1}}</ref>
Other penguins in New York have also been reported to be forming same-sex pairs. {{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Zoos in ] and ] have also documented male penguin couples. The couples have been shown to build nests together and use a stone to replace an egg in the nest. Researchers at ] in ], found twenty such pairs at sixteen major aquariums and zoos in Japan. Bremerhaven Zoo in Germany attempted to break up the male couples by importing female penguins from ] and separating the male couples; they were unsuccessful. The zoo director stated the relationships were too strong between the couples.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Recently, a mated pair of ]s in ] were found to both be female. They too had attempted to raise eggs together.<ref>Beth Shapiro . 365Gay.com. New York. August 15, 2005</ref>

Studies have shown that ten to 15% of female western gulls in some populations in the wild prefer other females.<ref>Dinitia Smith . New York Times via Sfgate.com (2004-02-07). Retrieved on 2012-04-04.</ref>

As many as 19% of mallard pairs in a given population have been observed to consist of male-male homosexuals.<ref>Bagemihl, pp. 479–481</ref>

In 2009 at a zoo in ], two male adult ]s adopted an egg that had been abandoned by its biological parents. After the egg hatched, the two penguins raised, protected, cared for, and fed the chick in the same manner that heterosexual penguins raise their own biological offspring.<ref>, BBC, 2009-06-03</ref>

====Lizards====
] females have the ability to reproduce through ] and as such males are rare and sexual breeding non-standard. Females engage in sexual behaviour to stimulate ], with their behaviour following their hormonal cycles; during low levels of estrogen, these (female) lizards engage in "masculine" sexual roles. Those animals with currently high estrogen levels assume "feminine" sexual roles.

Lizards that perform the courtship ritual have greater fecundity than those kept in isolation due to an increase in hormones triggered by the sexual behaviours. So, even though asexual whiptail lizards populations lack males, sexual stimuli still increase reproductive success.

From an ] standpoint these females are passing their full genetic code to all of their offspring rather than the 50% of genes that would be passed in sexual reproduction. Certain species of ] also reproduce by parthenogenesis.


===Invertebrates===
] is a mating behaviour engaged in by certain species of ], such as '']''. Species which engage in the practice are hermaphroditic, possessing both eggs and sperm-producing testes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/kcet/shapeoflife/episodes/hunt_explo2.html |title=Fighting to mate: flatworm penis fencing |author=Newman, Leslie |publisher=]}}</ref> The species "fence" using two-headed dagger-like penises which are pointed, and white in color. One organism inseminates the other. The sperm is absorbed through pores in the skin, causing fertilization.


Many animals make ] to seal the female's ] after mating. Normally such plugs are secreted by the male, to block subsequent partners. In spiders the female can assist the process.<ref name=Economist>{{Cite news |title= Sexual Appetite and Animal behaviour – Sex and the single spider |newspaper= The Economist |url= http://www.economist.com/node/18956086 |date= 14 July 2011 |volume= 400 |issue= 8742 |access-date= 3 May 2013 |archive-date= 4 June 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130604062257/http://www.economist.com/node/18956086 |url-status= live }}</ref> Spider sex is unusual in that males transfer their sperm to the female on small limbs called pedipalps. They use these to pick their sperm up from their genitals and insert it into the female's sexual orifice, rather than copulating directly.<ref name=Economist/> On the 14 occasions a sexual plug was made, the female produced it without assistance from the male. On ten of these occasions the male's pedipalps then seemed to get stuck while he was transferring the sperm (which is rarely the case in other species of spider), and he had great difficulty freeing himself. In two of those ten instances, he was eaten as a result.<ref name=Economist/>
{{commons category|Lepidoptera sex}}
The butterflies spend much time on searching for mates. When the male spots his mate, he will fly closer and closer and release the chemical substance called ]s. The male makes a special "]" which may consist of some special dancing postures to attract the female. If the female appreciates his dancing, she may join him. Then they join their bodies together end to end at their ]s. Here, the male passes the sperm to the female's egg-laying tube which will soon be fertilized by the sperm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/13-strangest-and-most-unusual-sexual-behavior-among-the-animals/2/ |title=Chan Lee Peng, August 2008 |publisher=Scienceray.com |accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> The male often has to face death shortly after mating. This is one of the reasons why butterflies are considered to have unusual sexual behaviour.


In the orb-weaving spider species '']'', individuals engage in a variety of sexual behaviors including male choosiness, mate guarding, and vibrational signaling in courtship.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bel-Venner|first1=M.c|last2=Dray|first2=S|last3=Allainé|first3=D|last4=Menu|first4=F|last5=Venner|first5=S|date=2008-01-07|title=Unexpected male choosiness for mates in a spider|url= |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=275|issue=1630|pages=77–82|doi=10.1098/rspb.2007.1278|pmc=2562406|pmid=17956845}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bel-Venner|first1=M. C.|last2=Venner|first2=S.|date=2006-06-01|title=Mate-guarding strategies and male competitive ability in an orb-weaving spider: results from a field study|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347206000972|journal=Animal Behaviour|language=en|volume=71|issue=6|pages=1315–1322|doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.08.010|s2cid=53195526|issn=0003-3472}}</ref>
Many animals—not just spiders—make ] to seal the female's ] after mating. Normally such plugs are secreted by the male, to stymie subsequent suitors. In spiders, though, the female sometimes assists the process.<ref name=Economist>{{Cite book|url=http://bf4dv7zn3u.search.serialssolutions.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/|genre=article|title=Sexual Appetite and Animal behaviour – Sex and the single spider|publisher=The Economist Intelligence Unit|date=2011-07-16|issn=0013-0613|volume=400|issue=8742}}</ref> Spider sex is unusual in that males transfer their sperm to the female on small limbs called pedipalps. They use these to pick their sperm up from their genitals and insert it into the female's sexual orifice, rather than copulating directly.<ref name=Economist/>
On the 14 occasions a sexual plug was made, the female produced it without assistance from the male. On ten of these occasions the male's pedipalps then seemed to get stuck while he was transferring the sperm (which is rarely the case in other species of spider), and he had great difficulty freeing himself. In two of those ten instances, he was eaten as a result.<ref name=Economist/>


==Other evidence of interspecies sexual activity== ==Genetic evidence of interspecies sexual activity in humans==
<!-- <!--
THIS SECTION IS SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN "INTERSPECIES SEXUAL ACTIVITY" SECTION, IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFUSING TWO ISSUES: ANIMAL SEXUALITY (WHICH IS NOT SO CONTROVERSIAL) AND HUMAN EVOLUTION/HUMAN/CHIMP SEX (WHICH TO SOME PEOPLE IS). THIS SECTION IS SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN "INTERSPECIES SEXUAL ACTIVITY" SECTION, IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFUSING TWO ISSUES: ANIMAL SEXUALITY (WHICH IS NOT SO CONTROVERSIAL) AND HUMAN EVOLUTION/HUMAN/CHIMP SEX (WHICH TO SOME PEOPLE IS).
SEE TALK PAGE. SEE TALK PAGE.
-->{{Main|Humanzee}} -->
{{Main|Humanzee}}
Research into ] confirms that, in some cases, interspecies sexual activity may have been responsible for the evolution of new species (]). Analysis of animal ]s found evidence that, after ]s had diverged from other ]s, interspecies mating nonetheless occurred regularly enough to change certain genes in the new ].<ref name="Patterson2006">{{cite journal |last= Patterson |first= Nick |author2= Daniel J. Richter |author3= Sante Gnerre |author4= Eric S. Lander |author5= David Reich |date= 29 June 2006 |title= Genetic evidence for complex speciation of humans and chimpanzees |journal= Nature |volume= 441 |issue= 7097 |pages= 1103–1108 |issn= 0028-0836 |doi= 10.1038/nature04789 |pmid= 16710306 |bibcode= 2006Natur.441.1103P |s2cid= 2325560 }}</ref> Researchers found that the ]s of humans and chimps may have ] around 1.2 million years after the other chromosomes. One possible explanation is that modern humans emerged from a hybrid of human and chimp populations.<ref name=NYTWade2006>Wade, Nicholas (18 May 2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518095858/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/science/18evolve.html |date=18 May 2022 }}, ''New York Times''.</ref> A 2012 study questioned this explanation, concluding that "there is no strong reason to involve complicated factors in explaining the autosomal data".<ref name="Yamamichi2012">{{cite journal |last= Yamamichi |first= M |author2= Gojobori J |author3= Innan H. |date= Jan 2012 |title= An autosomal analysis gives no genetic evidence for complex speciation of humans and chimpanzees |journal= Mol Biol Evol |volume= 29 |issue= 1 |pages= 145–56 |doi= 10.1093/molbev/msr172 |pmid= 21903679 |pmc=3299331}}</ref>{{Dubious |1=Genetic evidence of interspecies sexual activity in humans: autosomes do not include the X|date=August 2019}}
Looking back in history, current research into ] tends to confirm that in some cases, interspecies sexual activity may have been responsible for the evolution of entire new species. Analysis of human and animal ]s in 2006 provides strong evidence that after ]s had diverged from other ]s, interspecies mating nonetheless occurred regularly enough to change certain genes in the new ]:


==Inbreeding avoidance==
{{quote|A new comparison of the human and ] ]s suggests that after the two lineages separated, they may have begun interbreeding. A principal finding is that the ]s of humans and chimps appear to have ] about 1.2 million years more recently than the other chromosomes.}}
{{Main|Inbreeding avoidance}}


When close relatives mate, progeny may exhibit the detrimental effects of ]. Inbreeding depression is predominantly caused by the ] expression of recessive deleterious alleles.<ref name="pmid19834483">{{cite journal |vauthors=Charlesworth D, Willis JH |title=The genetics of inbreeding depression |journal=Nature Reviews Genetics |volume=10 |issue=11 |pages=783–96 |year=2009 |pmid=19834483 |doi=10.1038/nrg2664 |s2cid=771357 }}</ref> Over time, inbreeding depression may lead to the evolution of ] behaviour. Several examples of animal behaviour that reduce mating of close relatives and inbreeding depression are described next.
The research suggests that:


Reproductively active female ]s tend to associate with unfamiliar males (usually non-kin), whereas reproductively inactive females do not discriminate.<ref name="pmid10584337">{{cite journal |vauthors=Clarke FM, Faulkes CG |title=Kin discrimination and female mate choice in the naked mole-rat Heterocephalus glaber |journal=Proc. Biol. Sci. |volume=266 |issue=1432 |pages=1995–2002 |year=1999 |pmid=10584337 |pmc=1690316 |doi=10.1098/rspb.1999.0877}}</ref> The preference of reproductively active females for unfamiliar males is interpreted as an adaptation for avoiding inbreeding.
{{quote|There were in fact two splits between the human and chimp lineages, with the first being followed by interbreeding between the two populations and then a second split. The suggestion of a hybridization has startled ], who nonetheless are "treating the new genetic data seriously."}}


When mice inbreed with close relatives in their natural habitat, there is a significant detrimental effect on progeny survival.<ref name="pmid7939661">{{cite journal|author-link2=Kimberly Hughes |vauthors=Jiménez JA, Hughes KA, Alaks G, Graham L, Lacy RC |title=An experimental study of inbreeding depression in a natural habitat |journal=Science |volume=266 |issue=5183 |pages=271–3 |year=1994 |pmid=7939661 |doi= 10.1126/science.7939661|bibcode=1994Sci...266..271J}}</ref> In the house mouse, the ] (MUP) gene cluster provides a highly polymorphic scent signal of genetic identity that appears to underlie ] and ]. Thus there are fewer matings between mice sharing MUP ]s than would be expected if there were random mating.<ref name="pmid17997307">{{cite journal |vauthors=Sherborne AL, Thom MD, Paterson S, Jury F, Ollier WE, Stockley P, Beynon RJ, Hurst JL |title=The genetic basis of inbreeding avoidance in house mice |journal=Curr. Biol. |volume=17 |issue=23 |pages=2061–6 |year=2007 |pmid=17997307 |pmc=2148465 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2007.10.041|bibcode=2007CBio...17.2061S }}</ref>
The '']'' , "If this theory proves correct, it will mean modern people are descended from something akin to chimp-human hybrids."<ref>Wade, Nicholas (2006-05-18) , ''New York Times''.</ref>


] females appear to be able to discriminate the odour of their kin from the odour of their non-kin.<ref name="pmid23234867">{{cite journal |vauthors=Leclaire S, Nielsen JF, Thavarajah NK, Manser M, Clutton-Brock TH |title=Odour-based kin discrimination in the cooperatively breeding meerkat |journal=Biology Letters |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=20121054 |year=2013 |pmid=23234867 |pmc=3565530 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2012.1054 }}</ref> Kin recognition is a useful ability that facilitates both cooperation among relatives and the avoidance of inbreeding. When mating does occur between meerkat relatives, it often results in ]. Inbreeding depression was evident for a variety of traits: pup mass at emergence from the natal burrow, hind-foot length, growth until independence and juvenile survival.<ref name="pmid22497583">{{cite journal |vauthors=Nielsen JF, English S, Goodall-Copestake WP, Wang J, Walling CA, Bateman AW, Flower TP, Sutcliffe RL, Samson J, Thavarajah NK, Kruuk LE, Clutton-Brock TH, Pemberton JM |title=Inbreeding and inbreeding depression of early life traits in a cooperative mammal |journal=Mol. Ecol. |volume=21 |issue=11 |pages=2788–804 |year=2012 |pmid=22497583 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05565.x |bibcode=2012MolEc..21.2788N |hdl=2263/19269 |s2cid=36059683 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
==Role in discussion of human sexuality==


The ] (''Myodes rufocanus'') exhibits male-biased dispersal as a means of avoiding incestuous matings.<ref name="pmid19140979">{{cite journal |vauthors=Ishibashi Y, Saitoh T |title=Role of male-biased dispersal in inbreeding avoidance in the grey-sided vole (Myodes rufocanus) |journal=Mol. Ecol. |volume=17 |issue=22 |pages=4887–96 |year=2008 |pmid=19140979 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03969.x |bibcode=2008MolEc..17.4887I |s2cid=44992920 }}</ref> Among those matings that do involve inbreeding the number of weaned juveniles in litters is significantly smaller than that from non-inbred litters indicating inbreeding depression.
Information about animal sexuality frequently arises as a persuasive device in arguments regarding human sexuality. Originally, the lack of documented animal sexual behaviour other than heterosexual sexual monogamy was used to argue that the dominant heterosexual monogamy of most modern human societies is more natural and acceptable. Likewise, the lack of documented sex between animals for the purpose of pleasure was used to promote the moral standard of reserving sex primarily for procreation. Proponents of alternate sexuality attribute this early lack of documented evidence to an ] in researchers, who, they argue, tended to interpret sexual behaviour inconsistent with their values as other behaviour.


In natural populations of the bird '']'' (great tit), inbreeding is likely avoided by dispersal of individuals from their birthplace, which reduces the chance of mating with a close relative.<ref name="pmid18211876">{{cite journal |vauthors=Szulkin M, Sheldon BC |title=Dispersal as a means of inbreeding avoidance in a wild bird population |journal=Proc. Biol. Sci. |volume=275 |issue=1635 |pages=703–11 |year=2008 |pmid=18211876 |pmc=2596843 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2007.0989}}</ref> Dispersing to avoid inbreeding is a common behavior amongst animals, such as ] and ], although inbreeding can still occur, albeit rarely.
With increasing published evidence of different types of sexual behaviour between animals, arguments for heterosexual monogamy in human society have moved towards characterizing these behaviours as resulting from differences between humans and animals, and in particular on ambiguity in motivation and subjective experience in animals, which is difficult to study. Arguments identifying human and animal behaviour are characterized as ], and in some cases an opposite observer bias is attributed to researchers. Supporters of alternate sexuality embrace the new research as confirmation of the naturalness of alternate sexual behaviour and evidence of its long-term feasibility and utility.


]s display ], as do many ]s. Individuals that return to natal ponds to breed will likely encounter ]s as potential mates. Although ] is possible, ''Bufo americanus'' siblings rarely mate. These toads likely recognise and actively avoid close kins as mates. Advertisement vocalisations by males appear to serve as cues by which females recognise their kin.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Waldman | first1 = B | last2 = Rice | first2 = JE | last3 = Honeycutt | first3 = RL | year = 1992 | title = Kin recognition and incest avoidance in toads | journal = Am. Zool. | volume = 32 | pages = 18–30 | doi=10.1093/icb/32.1.18| doi-access = free }}</ref>
The media could also be a key player in helping the destruction of the stereotypical idea that gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people represent an unnatural aspect of society. It does so by describing and promoting the variation in sexual behaviour in the animal kingdom, thus displaying that this behaviour is acceptable for humans as well.<ref>Rowan Hooper,, ''International Weekly Journal of Science'', September 2012</ref>

In both cases, any argument whose conclusion is that something is good or right because it is natural, or that something is bad or wrong because it is unnatural or artificial is known as the ] fallacy.<ref>{{cite web|last=Curtis|first=Gary N.|title=Appeal to Nature|url=http://www.fallacyfiles.org/adnature.html|work=Fallacyfiles.org|accessdate=12 December 2011}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Animals}}
*], An exhibition on ] taking place in the ].
* ]
*]
* ]
*]
* '']'', a series of short films about animal mating, enacted by humans, airing on the ]
*]
* ]
*]
*] * ]
* {{section link|House mouse|Social behavior}} includes polygamy
*]
* ]
*] (a female bovine with a masculinized brain which acts sexually as a male)
* ]
*'']'', a series of short films about animal mating, enacted by humans, airing on the ]
* ]
*]
* {{annotated link|Sequential hermaphroditism}}
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]


== References == ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}} {{Reflist}}


==Bibliography== ==Bibliography==
*Bagemihl, Bruce (1999) . St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-19239-8 * {{cite book |ref= Bagemihl |author= Bagemihl, Bruce |year= 1999 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tmFJ1LhbVWcC |title= Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity |publisher= St. Martin's Press |isbn= 978-0-312-19239-6 }}
* {{cite book |ref= Schaller |author= Schaller, G.B. |title= The Serengeti Lion |publisher= University of Chicago Press |year= 1972 |isbn= 978-0226736600}}


==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |last=Szykman |first=M. |last2=Van Horn |first2=R. C. |display-authors=2 |last3=Engh |first3=A.L. |last4=Boydston |first4=E. E. |last5=Holekamp |first5=K. E. |year=2007 |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20121130102848/http://tuvalu.santafe.edu/~bowles/Dominance/Papers/SzykmanetalHyenaMatingBehaviour2007.pdf |format=pdf |title=Courtship and mating in free-living spotted hyenas |journal=Behaviour |volume=144 |issue=7 |accessdate=2012-07-11 |doi=10.1163/156853907781476418 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book|author=R. F. Ewer|title=Ethology of Mammals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LTzBwAAQBAJ&q=mating%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20copulation%20OR%20coitus%20OR%20%22sexual%20behavior%22|date=11 December 2013|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4899-4656-0}}
* {{cite book |first1=Ronald D. |last1=Nadler |year=1980 |chapter-url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6934312/ |chapter=Reproductive physiology and behaviour of gorillas |editor-first1=R. V. |editor-last1=Short |editor-first2=Barbara J. |editor-last2=Weir |title=The Great Apes of Africa |journal=Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. Supplement |volume=Suppl 28 |pages=59–70 |location=Cambridge |publisher=Journals of Reproduction and Fertility Ltd. |pmid=6934312 |isbn=978-0906545041}}
* {{cite book |author= Richard Estes |title= The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=g977LsZHpcsC&q=intromission%20OR%20copulation%20OR%20coitus%20OR%20ejaculation%20OR%20%22sexual%20behavior%22 |year= 1991 |publisher= University of California Press |isbn= 978-0-520-08085-0}}
* {{cite book|author1=William F. Perrin|author2=Bernd Wursig|author3=J.G.M. 'Hans' ]|title=Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2rkHQpToi9sC&q=mating%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20copulation%20OR%20coitus%20OR%20%22sexual%20behavior%22|date=26 February 2009|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-08-091993-5}}
* {{cite book |title=Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People |year=2013 |first=Joan |last=Roughgarden |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520280458}}
* {{cite book |author= John Vandenbergh |title= Pheromones and Reproduction in Mammals |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PUpYID8Rc3UC |date= 28 August 1983 |publisher= Elsevier |isbn= 978-0-323-15651-6}}
* {{cite book|author1=Temple Grandin|author2=Mark J. Deesing|title=Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4L3dMJ8-aWgC&q=ejaculation%20OR%20mating%20OR%20copulation%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20%22sexual%20behavior%22%20OR%20coitus|date=22 April 2013|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-12-405508-7}}
* {{cite book|author1=Menna Jones|author2=Chris R. Dickman|author3=Michael Archer|title=Predators with Pouches: The Biology of Carnivorous Marsupials|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3YQSDiWHfD0C&q=mating%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20copulation%20OR%20coitus%20OR%20ejaculation%20OR%20%22sexual%20behavior%22%20OR%20estrus|year=2003|publisher=Csiro Publishing|isbn=978-0-643-06634-2}}
*{{cite book|author=Ernst Knobil|title=Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=11f2zMjqqVkC&q=(copulation%20OR%20coital%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20courtship%20OR%20copulatory%20OR%20precopulatory%20OR%20postcopulatory%20OR%20%22sexual%20behavior%22%20OR%20%22reproductive%20behavior%22%20OR%20mounting)|year=2006|publisher=Gulf Professional Publishing|isbn=978-0-12-515402-4}}
; Sexual behavior of horses
* {{cite book|author=Morel, M.C.G.D.|title=Equine Reproductive Physiology, Breeding and Stud Management|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iz1C6pSwq40C&q=(copulation%20OR%20coital%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20courtship%20OR%20copulatory%20OR%20precopulatory%20OR%20postcopulatory%20OR%20sexual%20OR%20mounting%20OR%20ejaculation)|year=2008|publisher=CABI|isbn=978-1-78064-073-0}}
* {{cite book|author1=D. S. Mills|author2=S. M. McDonnell|title=The Domestic Horse: The Origins, Development and Management of Its Behaviour|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GHKuEeqC4U0C&q=(copulation%20OR%20coital%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20courtship%20OR%20copulatory%20OR%20precopulatory%20OR%20postcopulatory%20OR%20sexual%20OR%20mounting%20OR%20penis%20OR%20genitalia%20OR%20ejaculation)&pg=PA110|date=10 March 2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89113-4|pages=110–}}
*{{cite book|author1=Jonathan Pycock|author2=Juan C. Samper|author3=Angus O. McKinnon|title=Current Therapy in Equine Reproduction E-Book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d2ac2NPLxsQC&q=(copulation%20OR%20coital%20OR%20intromission%20OR%20courtship%20OR%20copulatory%20OR%20precopulatory%20OR%20postcopulatory%20OR%20sexual%20OR%20%22reproductive%20behavior%22%20OR%20mounting)|date=23 November 2006|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=978-1-4377-1300-8}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Animal sex}} * {{Commons category-inline|Interspecies sex}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Mammal sex}}
*
*
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* San Francisco Zoo has run , on Valentine's Day
*
* World Science
*


{{Animal sexual behavior}}
*] has run a "sex tour" covering animal sexuality, on ]
{{Sex (biology)}}
* World Science
{{Ethology}}
*
{{Zoophilia}}

{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Animal Sexual Behaviour}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Animal Sexual Behaviour}}
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Latest revision as of 03:20, 21 January 2025

Sexual behavior of non-human animals This article is about the sexual behavior of nonhuman animals. For human sexual behavior, see Human sexual activity and Human sexuality. For other uses, see Animal sex (disambiguation).

Bonobos mating in a zoo
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientations
Related terms
Research
Animals
Related topics
Stags fighting while competing for females—a common sexual behavior
Anatomical structures on the head and throat of a domestic turkey. 1. Caruncles 2. Snood 3. Wattle (dewlap) 4. Major caruncle 5. Beard. During sexual behavior, these structures enlarge or become brightly colored.

Animal sexual behaviour takes many different forms, including within the same species. Common mating or reproductively motivated systems include monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, polygamy and promiscuity. Other sexual behaviour may be reproductively motivated (e.g. sex apparently due to duress or coercion and situational sexual behaviour) or non-reproductively motivated (e.g. homosexual sexual behaviour, bisexual sexual behaviour, cross-species sex, sexual arousal from objects or places, sex with dead animals, etc.).

When animal sexual behaviour is reproductively motivated, it is often termed mating or copulation; for most non-human mammals, mating and copulation occur at oestrus (the most fertile period in the mammalian female's reproductive cycle), which increases the chances of successful impregnation. Some animal sexual behaviour involves competition, sometimes fighting, between multiple males. Females often select males for mating only if they appear strong and able to protect themselves. The male that wins a fight may also have the chance to mate with a larger number of females and will therefore pass on his genes to their offspring.

Historically, it was believed that only humans and a small number of other species performed sexual acts other than for reproduction, and that animals' sexuality was instinctive and a simple "stimulus-response" behaviour. However, in addition to homosexual behaviours, a range of species masturbate and may use objects as tools to help them do so. Sexual behaviour may be tied more strongly to the establishment and maintenance of complex social bonds across a population which support its success in non-reproductive ways. Both reproductive and non-reproductive behaviours can be related to expressions of dominance over another animal or survival within a stressful situation (such as sex due to duress or coercion).

Mating systems

Greater sage-grouse at a lek, with multiple males displaying for the less conspicuous females

In sociobiology and behavioural ecology, the term "mating system" is used to describe the ways in which animal societies are structured in relation to sexual behaviour. The mating system specifies which males mate with which females, and under what circumstances. There are four basic systems:

The four basic mating systems
Single female Multiple females
Single male Monogamy Polygyny
Multiple males Polyandry Polygynandry

Monogamy

Main article: Monogamous pairing in animals See also: Evolution of monogamy

Monogamy occurs when one male and one female mate exclusively with each other. A monogamous mating system is one in which individuals form long-lasting pairs and cooperate in raising offspring. These pairs may last for a lifetime, such as in pigeons, or it may occasionally change from one mating season to another, such as in emperor penguins. In contrast with tournament species, these pair-bonding species have lower levels of male aggression, competition and little sexual dimorphism. Zoologists and biologists now have evidence that monogamous pairs of animals are not always sexually exclusive. Many animals that form pairs to mate and raise offspring regularly engage in sexual activities with extra-pair partners. This includes previous examples, such as swans. Sometimes, these extra-pair sexual activities lead to offspring. Genetic tests frequently show that some of the offspring raised by a monogamous pair come from the female mating with an extra-pair male partner. These discoveries have led biologists to adopt new ways of talking about monogamy. According to Ulrich Reichard (2003):

Social monogamy refers to a male and female's social living arrangement (e.g., shared use of a territory, behaviour indicative of a social pair, and/or proximity between a male and female) without inferring any sexual interactions or reproductive patterns. In humans, social monogamy takes the form of monogamous marriage. Sexual monogamy is defined as an exclusive sexual relationship between a female and a male based on observations of sexual interactions. Finally, the term genetic monogamy is used when DNA analyses can confirm that a female-male pair reproduce exclusively with each other. A combination of terms indicates examples where levels of relationships coincide, e.g., sociosexual and sociogenetic monogamy describe corresponding social and sexual, and social and genetic monogamous relationships, respectively.

Whatever makes a pair of animals socially monogamous does not necessarily make them sexually or genetically monogamous. Social monogamy, sexual monogamy, and genetic monogamy can occur in different combinations.

Social monogamy is relatively rare in the animal kingdom. The actual incidence of social monogamy varies greatly across different branches of the evolutionary tree. Over 90% of avian species are socially monogamous. This stands in contrast to mammals. Only 3% of mammalian species are socially monogamous, although up to 15% of primate species are. Social monogamy has also been observed in reptiles, fish, and insects.

Sexual monogamy is also rare among animals. Many socially monogamous species engage in extra-pair copulations, making them sexually non-monogamous. For example, while over 90% of birds are socially monogamous, "on average, 30% or more of the baby birds in any nest sired by someone other than the resident male." Patricia Adair Gowaty has estimated that, out of 180 different species of socially monogamous songbirds, only 10% are sexually monogamous.

The incidence of genetic monogamy, determined by DNA fingerprinting, varies widely across species. For a few rare species, the incidence of genetic monogamy is 100%, with all offspring genetically related to the socially monogamous pair. But genetic monogamy is strikingly low in other species. Barash and Lipton note:

The highest known frequency of extra-pair copulations are found among the fairy-wrens, lovely tropical creatures technically known as Malurus splendens and Malurus cyaneus. More than 65% of all fairy-wren chicks are fathered by males outside the supposed breeding group.

Such low levels of genetic monogamy have surprised biologists and zoologists, forcing them to rethink the role of social monogamy in evolution. They can no longer assume social monogamy determines how genes are distributed in a species. The lower the rates of genetic monogamy among socially monogamous pairs, the less of a role social monogamy plays in determining how genes are distributed among offspring.

Polygamy

See also: Promiscuity § Other animals

The term polygamy is an umbrella term used to refer generally to non-monogamous matings. As such, polygamous relationships can be polygynous, polyandrous or polygynandrous. In a small number of species, individuals can display either polygamous or monogamous behaviour depending on environmental conditions. An example is the social wasp Apoica flavissima. In some species, polygyny and polyandry is displayed by both sexes in the population. Polygamy in both sexes has been observed in red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). Polygamy is also seen in many Lepidoptera species including Mythimna unipuncta (true armyworm moth).

A tournament species is one in which "mating tends to be highly polygamous and involves high levels of male-male aggression and competition." Tournament behaviour often correlates with high levels of sexual dimorphism, examples of species including chimpanzees and baboons. Most polygamous species present high levels of tournament behaviour, with a notable exception being bonobos.

Polygyny

Main article: Polygyny in animals

Polygyny occurs when one male gets exclusive mating rights with multiple females. In some species, notably those with harem-like structures, only one of a few males in a group of females will mate. Technically, polygyny in sociobiology and zoology is defined as a system in which a male has a relationship with more than one female, but the females are predominantly bonded to a single male. Should the active male be driven out, killed, or otherwise removed from the group, in a number of species the new male will ensure that breeding resources are not wasted on another male's young. The new male may achieve this in many different ways, including:

  • competitive infanticide: in lions, hippopotamuses, and some monkeys, the new male will kill the offspring of the previous alpha male to cause their mothers to become receptive to his sexual advances since they are no longer nursing. To prevent this, many female primates exhibit ovulation cues among all males, and show situation-dependent receptivity.
  • harassment to miscarriage: amongst wild horses and baboons, the male will continually attack pregnant females until they miscarry.
  • Pheromone-based spontaneous abortion
  • in some rodents such as mice, a new male with a different scent will cause females who are pregnant to spontaneously fail to implant recently fertilised eggs. This does not require contact; it is mediated by scent alone. It is known as the Bruce effect.

Von Haartman specifically described the mating behaviour of the European pied flycatcher as successive polygyny. Within this system, the males leave their home territory once their primary female lays her first egg. Males then create a second territory, presumably in order to attract a secondary female to breed. Even when they succeed at acquiring a second mate, the males typically return to the first female to exclusively provide for her and her offspring.

Polygynous mating structures are estimated to occur in up to 90% of mammal species. As polygyny is the most common form of polygamy among vertebrates (including humans), it has been studied far more extensively than polyandry or polygynandry.

Polyandry

The anglerfish Haplophryne mollis is polyandrous. This female is trailing the atrophied remains of males she has encountered.
Main article: Polyandry in nature

Polyandry occurs when one female gets exclusive mating rights with multiple males. In some species, such as redlip blennies, both polygyny and polyandry are observed.

The males in some deep sea anglerfishes are much smaller than the females. When they find a female they bite into her skin, releasing an enzyme that digests the skin of their mouths and her body and fusing the pair down to the blood-vessel level. The male then slowly atrophies, losing first his digestive organs, then his brain, heart, and eyes, ending as nothing more than a pair of gonads, which release sperm in response to hormones in the female's bloodstream indicating egg release. This extreme sexual dimorphism ensures that, when the female is ready to spawn, she has a mate immediately available. A single anglerfish female can "mate" with many males in this manner.

Polygynandry

Main article: Polygynandry

Polygynandry occurs when multiple males mate indiscriminately with multiple females. The numbers of males and females need not be equal, and in vertebrate species studied so far, there are usually fewer males. Two examples of systems in primates are promiscuous mating chimpanzees and bonobos. These species live in social groups consisting of several males and several females. Each female copulates with many males, and vice versa. In bonobos, the amount of promiscuity is particularly striking because bonobos use sex to alleviate social conflict as well as to reproduce. This mutual promiscuity is the approach most commonly used by spawning animals, and is perhaps the "original fish mating system." Common examples are forage fish, such as herrings, which form huge mating shoals in shallow water. The water becomes milky with sperm and the bottom is draped with millions of fertilised eggs.

Parental investment and reproductive success

Main article: Bateman's principle
Mating grey slugs, suspended from a slime thread

Female and male sexual behaviour differ in many species. Often, males are more active in initiating mating, and bear the more conspicuous sexual ornamentation like antlers and colourful plumage. This is a result of anisogamy, where sperm are smaller and much less costly (energetically) to produce than eggs. This difference in physiological cost means that males are more limited by the number of mates they can secure, while females are limited by the quality of genes of her mates, a phenomenon known as Bateman's principle. Many females also have extra reproductive burdens in that parental care often falls mainly, or exclusively, on them. Thus, females are more limited in their potential reproductive success. In species where males take on more of the reproductive costs, such as sea horses and jacanas, the role is reversed, and the females are larger, more aggressive and more brightly coloured than the males.

In hermaphroditic animals, the costs of parental care can be evenly distributed between the sexes, e.g. earthworms. In some species of planarians, sexual behaviour takes the form of penis fencing. In this form of copulation, the individual that first penetrates the other with the penis, forces the other to be female, thus carrying the majority of the cost of reproduction. Post mating, banana slugs will some times gnaw off their partners penis as an act of sperm competition called apophallation. This is costly as they must heal, and spend more energy courting conspecifics that can act as male and female. A hypothesis suggests these slugs may be able to compensate the loss of the male function by directing energy that would have been put towards it to the female function. In the grey slug, the sharing of cost leads to a spectacular display, where the mates suspend themselves high above the ground from a slime thread, ensuring none of them can refrain from taking on the cost of egg-bearer.

Seasonality

Main article: Seasonal breeder
Brain corals typically spawning in connection with the full moon every August

Many animal species have specific mating (or breeding) periods e.g. (seasonal breeding) so that offspring are born or hatch at an optimal time. In marine species with limited mobility and external fertilisation like corals, sea urchins and clams, the timing of the common spawning is the only externally visible form of sexual behaviour. In areas with continuously high primary production, some species have a series of breeding seasons throughout the year. This is the case with most primates (who are primarily tropical and subtropical animals). Some animals (opportunistic breeders) breed dependent upon other conditions in their environment aside from time of year.

Mammals

Mating seasons are often associated with changes to herd or group structure, and behavioural changes, including territorialism amongst individuals. These may be annual (e.g. wolves), biannual (e.g. dogs) or more frequently (e.g. horses). During these periods, females of most mammalian species are more mentally and physically receptive to sexual advances, a period scientifically described as oestrus but commonly described as being "in season" or "in heat". Sexual behaviour may occur outside oestrus, and such acts as do occur are not necessarily harmful.

Some mammals (e.g. domestic cats, rabbits and camelids) are termed "induced ovulators". For these species, the female ovulates due to an external stimulus during, or just prior to, mating, rather than ovulating cyclically or spontaneously. Stimuli causing induced ovulation include the sexual behaviour of coitus, sperm and pheromones. Domestic cats have penile spines. Upon withdrawal of a cat's penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which may cause ovulation.

Amphibians

For many amphibians, an annual breeding cycle applies, typically regulated by ambient temperature, precipitation, availability of surface water and food supply. This breeding season is accentuated in temperate regions, in boreal climate the breeding season is typically concentrated to a few short days in the spring. Some species, such as the Rana clamitans (green frog), spend from June to August defending their territory. In order to protect these territories, they use five vocalizations.

Fish

Like many coral reef dwellers, the clownfish spawn around the time of the full moon in the wild. In a group of clownfish, there is a strict dominance hierarchy. The largest and most aggressive female is found at the top. Only two clownfish, a male and a female, in a group reproduce through external fertilisation. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning that they develop into males first, and when they mature, they become females. If the female clownfish is removed from the group, such as by death, one of the largest and most dominant males will become a female. The remaining males will move up a rank in the hierarchy.

Motivation

Various neurohormones stimulate sexual wanting in animals. In general, studies have suggested that dopamine is involved in sexual incentive motivation, oxytocin and melanocortins in sexual attraction, and noradrenaline in sexual arousal. Vasopressin is also involved in the sexual behaviour of some animals.

Neurohormones in the mating systems of voles

The mating system of prairie voles is monogamous; after mating, they form a lifelong bond. In contrast, montane voles have a polygamous mating system. When montane voles mate, they form no strong attachments, and separate after copulation. Studies on the brains of these two species have found that it is two neurohormones and their respective receptors that are responsible for these differences in mating strategies. Male prairie voles release vasopressin after copulation with a partner, and an attachment to their partner then develops. Female prairie voles release oxytocin after copulation with a partner, and similarly develop an attachment to their partner.

Neither male nor female montane voles release high quantities of oxytocin or vasopressin when they mate. Even when injected with these neurohormones, their mating system does not change. In contrast, if prairie voles are injected with the neurohormones, they may form a lifelong attachment, even if they have not mated. The differing response to the neurohormones between the two species is due to a difference in the number of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors. Prairie voles have a greater number of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors compared to montane voles, and are therefore more sensitive to those two neurohormones. It's believed that it's the quantity of receptors, rather than the quantity of the hormones, that determines the mating system and bond-formation of either species.

Oxytocin and rat sexual behaviour

Mother rats experience a postpartum estrus which makes them highly motivated to mate. However, they also have a strong motivation to protect their newly born pups. As a consequence, the mother rat solicits males to the nest but simultaneously becomes aggressive towards them to protect her young. If the mother rat is given injections of an oxytocin receptor antagonist, they no longer experience these maternal motivations.

Prolactin influences social bonding in rats.

Oxytocin and primate sexual behaviour

Oxytocin plays a similar role in non-human primates as it does in humans.

Grooming, sex, and cuddling frequencies correlate positively with levels of oxytocin. As the level of oxytocin increases so does sexual motivation. While oxytocin plays a major role in parent child relationships, it is also found to play a role in adult sexual relationships. Its secretion affects the nature of the relationship or if there will even be a relationship at all.

Studies have shown that oxytocin is higher in monkeys in lifelong monogamous relationships compared to monkeys which are single. Furthermore, the oxytocin levels of the couples correlate positively; when the oxytocin secretion of one increases, the other one also increases. Higher levels of oxytocin are related to monkeys expressing more behaviours such as cuddling, grooming and sex, while lower levels of oxytocin reduce motivation for these activities.

Research on oxytocin's role in the animal brain suggests that it plays less of a role in behaviours of love and affection than previously believed. "When oxytocin was first discovered in 1909, it was thought mostly to influence a mother's labour contractions and milk let-down. Then, in the 1990s, research with prairie voles found that giving them a dose of oxytocin resulted in the formation of a bond with their future mate (Azar, 40)." Oxytocin has since been treated by the media as the sole player in the "love and mating game" in mammals. This view, however, is proving to be false as, "most hormones don't influence behaviour directly. Rather, they affect thinking and emotions in variable ways (Azar, 40)." There is much more involved in sexual behaviour in the mammalian animal than oxytocin and vasopressin can explain.

Pleasure

It is often assumed that animals do not have sex for pleasure, or alternatively that humans, pigs, bonobos (and perhaps dolphins and one or two more species of primates) are the only species that do. This is sometimes stated as "animals mate only for reproduction". This view is considered a misconception by some scholars. Jonathan Balcombe argues that the prevalence of non-reproductive sexual behaviour in certain species suggests that sexual stimulation is pleasurable. He also points to the presence of the clitoris in some female mammals, and evidence for female orgasm in primates. On the other hand, it is impossible to know the subjective feelings of animals, and the notion that non-human animals experience emotions similar to humans is a contentious subject.

A 2006 Danish Animal Ethics Council report, which examined current knowledge of animal sexuality in the context of legal queries concerning sexual acts by humans, has the following comments, primarily related to domestically common animals:

Even though the evolution-related purpose of mating can be said to be reproduction, it is not actually the creating of offspring which originally causes them to mate. It is probable that they mate because they are motivated for the actual copulation, and because this is connected with a positive experience. It is therefore reasonable to assume that there is some form of pleasure or satisfaction connected with the act. This assumption is confirmed by the behaviour of males, who in the case of many species are prepared to work to get access to female animals, especially if the female animal is in oestrus, and males who for breeding purposes are used to having sperm collected become very eager, when the equipment they associate with the collection is taken out. . . . There is nothing in female mammals' anatomy or physiology that contradicts that stimulation of the sexual organs and mating is able to be a positive experience. For instance, the clitoris acts in the same way as with women, and scientific studies have shown that the success of reproduction is improved by stimulation of clitoris on (among other species) cows and mares in connection with insemination, because it improves the transportation of the sperm due to contractions of the inner genitalia. This probably also applies to female animals of other animal species, and contractions in the inner genitals are seen e.g. also during orgasm for women. It is therefore reasonable to assume that sexual intercourse may be linked with a positive experience for female animals.

Koinophilia

Main article: Koinophilia

Koinophilia is the love of the "normal" or phenotypically common (from the Greek κοινός, koinós, meaning "usual" or "common"). The term was introduced to scientific literature in 1990, and refers to the tendency of animals seeking a mate to prefer that mate not to have any unusual, peculiar or deviant features. Similarly, animals preferentially choose mates with low fluctuating asymmetry. However, animal sexual ornaments can evolve through runaway selection, which is driven by (usually female) selection for non-standard traits.

Interpretation bias

The field of study of sexuality in non-human species was a long-standing taboo. In the past, researchers sometimes failed to observe, miscategorised or misdescribed sexual behaviour which did not meet their preconceptions—their bias tended to support what would now be described as conservative sexual mores. An example of overlooking behaviour relates to descriptions of giraffe mating:

When nine out of ten pairings occur between males, "very male that sniffed a female was reported as sex, while anal intercourse with orgasm between males was only 'revolving around' dominance, competition or greetings."

In the 21st century, liberal social or sexual views are often projected upon animal subjects of research. Popular discussions of bonobos are a frequently cited example. Current research frequently expresses views such as that of the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo, which in 2006 held an exhibition on animal sexuality:

Many 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.

Other animal activities may be misinterpreted due to the frequency and context in which animals perform the behaviour. For example, domestic ruminants display behaviours such as mounting and head-butting. This often occurs when the animals are establishing dominance relationships and are not necessarily sexually motivated. Careful analysis must be made to interpret what animal motivations are being expressed by those behaviours.

Types of sexual behaviour

Reproductive sexual behaviour

Copulation

Main article: Copulation (zoology)

Copulation is the union of the male and female sex organs, the sexual activity specifically organized to transmit male sperm into the body of the female.

Cuckoldry

Small male bluegill sunfishes cuckold large males by adopting sneaker strategies.
See also: Cuckoldry in fish

Alternative male strategies which allow small males to engage in cuckoldry can develop in species such as fish where spawning is dominated by large and aggressive males. Cuckoldry is a variant of polyandry, and can occur with sneak spawners. A sneak spawner is a male that rushes in to join the spawning rush of a spawning pair. A spawning rush occurs when a fish makes a burst of speed, usually on a near vertical incline, releasing gametes at the apex, followed by a rapid return to the lake or sea floor or fish aggregation. Sneaking males do not take part in courtship. In salmon and trout, for example, jack males are common. These are small silvery males that migrate upstream along with the standard, large, hook-nosed males and that spawn by sneaking into redds to release sperm simultaneously with a mated pair. This behaviour is an evolutionarily stable strategy for reproduction, because it is favoured by natural selection just like the "standard" strategy of large males.

Hermaphroditism

Female groupers change their sex to male if no male is available.
See also: Sequential hermaphroditism

Hermaphroditism occurs when a given individual in a species possesses both male and female reproductive organs, or can alternate between possessing first one, and then the other. Hermaphroditism is common in invertebrates but rare in vertebrates. It can be contrasted with gonochorism, where each individual in a species is either male or female, and remains that way throughout their lives. Most fish are gonochorists, but hermaphroditism is known to occur in 14 families of teleost fishes.

Usually hermaphrodites are sequential, meaning they can switch sex, usually from female to male (protogyny). This can happen if a dominant male is removed from a group of females. The largest female in the harem can switch sex over a few days and replace the dominant male. This is found amongst coral reef fishes such as groupers, parrotfishes and wrasses. As an example, most wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites within a haremic mating system. It is less common for a male to switch to a female (protandry). A common example of a protandrous species are clownfish—if the larger, dominant female dies, in many cases, the reproductive male gains weight and becomes the female. Hermaphroditism allows for complex mating systems. Wrasses exhibit three different mating systems: polygynous, lek-like, and promiscuous mating systems.

Sexual cannibalism

Main article: Sexual cannibalism
Araneus diadematus – cannibalistic mating behaviour

Sexual cannibalism is a behaviour in which a female animal kills and consumes the male before, during, or after copulation. Sexual cannibalism confers fitness advantages to both the male and female. Sexual cannibalism is common among insects, arachnids and amphipods. There is also evidence of sexual cannibalism in gastropods and copepods.

Sexual coercion

Main article: Sexual coercion among animals
During mating, the male muscovy duck typically immobilises the female.

Sex in a forceful or apparently coercive context has been documented in a variety of species. In some herbivorous herd species, or species where males and females are very different in size, the male dominates sexually by force and size.

Some species of birds have been observed combining sexual intercourse with apparent violent assault; these include ducks, and geese. Female white-fronted bee-eaters are subjected to forced copulations. When females emerge from their nest burrows, males sometimes force them to the ground and mate with them. Such forced copulations are made preferentially on females who are laying and who may therefore lay eggs fertilized by the male.

It has been reported that young male elephants in South Africa sexually coerced and killed rhinoceroses. This interpretation of the elephants' behaviour was disputed by one of the original study's authors, who said there was "nothing sexual about these attacks".

Parthenogenesis

Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development of embryos occur without fertilisation. Technically, parthenogenesis is not a behaviour, however, sexual behaviours may be involved.

Whip-tailed lizard females have the ability to reproduce through parthenogenesis and as such males are rare and sexual breeding non-standard. Females engage in "pseudocopulation" to stimulate ovulation, with their behaviour following their hormonal cycles; during low levels of oestrogen, these (female) lizards engage in "masculine" sexual roles. Those animals with currently high oestrogen levels assume "feminine" sexual roles. Lizards that perform the courtship ritual have greater fecundity than those kept in isolation due to an increase in hormones triggered by the sexual behaviours. So, even though asexual whiptail lizards populations lack males, sexual stimuli still increase reproductive success. From an evolutionary standpoint these females are passing their full genetic code to all of their offspring rather than the 50% of genes that would be passed in sexual reproduction.

It is rare to find true parthenogenesis in fishes, where females produce female offspring with no input from males. All-female species include the Texas silverside, Menidia clarkhubbsi and a complex of Mexican mollies.

Parthenogenesis has been recorded in 70 vertebrate species including hammerhead sharks, blacktip sharks, amphibians and lizards.

Unisexuality

Unisexuality occurs when a species is all-male or all-female. Unisexuality occurs in some fish species and can take complex forms. Squalius alburnoides, a minnow found in several river basins in Portugal and Spain, appears to be an all-male species. The existence of this species illustrates the potential complexity of mating systems in fish. The species originated as a hybrid between two species and is diploid but not hermaphroditic. It can have triploid and tetraploid forms, including all-female forms that reproduce mainly through hybridogenesis.

Others

A dog mates with a coyote to produce a dog-coyote hybrid.
  • Interbreeding: Hybrid offspring can result from the mating of two organisms of distinct but closely related parent species, although the resulting offspring is not always fertile. According to Alfred Kinsey, genetic studies on wild animal populations have shown a "large number" of inter-species hybrids.
  • Prostitution: There are reports that animals occasionally engage in prostitution. A small number of pair-bonded females within a group of penguins took nesting material (stones) after copulating with a non-partner male. The researcher stated "I was watching opportunistically, so I can't give an exact figure of how common it really is." It has been reported that "bartering of meat for sex ... forms part of the social fabric of a troop of wild chimps living in the Tai National Park in the Côte d'Ivoire."
  • Pavlovian conditioning: The sexualisation of objects or locations is recognised in the animal breeding world. For example, male animals may become sexually aroused upon visiting a location where they have been allowed to have sex before, or upon seeing a stimulus previously associated with sexual activity such as an artificial vagina. Sexual preferences for certain cues can be artificially induced in rats by pairing scents or objects with their early sexual experiences. The primary motivation of this behaviour is Pavlovian conditioning, and the association is due to a conditioned response (or association) formed with a distinctive "reward".
  • Viewing images: A study using four adult male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) showed that male rhesus macaques will give up a highly valued item, juice, to see images of the faces or perineum of high-status females. Encouraging captive pandas to mate is problematic. Showing young male pandas "panda pornography" is credited with a recent population boom among pandas in captivity in China. One researcher attributed the success to the sounds on the recordings.
  • Copulatory wounding and traumatic insemination: Injury to a partner's genital tract during mating occurs in at least 40 taxa, ranging from fruit flies to humans. However, it often goes unnoticed due to its cryptic nature and because of internal wounds not visible outside.

Non-reproductive sexual behaviour

Main article: Non-reproductive sexual behaviour in animals

There is a range of behaviours that animals perform that appear to be sexually motivated but which can not result in reproduction. These include:

  • Masturbation: Some species, both male and female, masturbate, both when partners are available and otherwise.
  • Oral sex: Several species engage in both autofellatio and oral sex. This has been documented in brown bears, Tibetan macaques, wolves, goats, primates, bats, cape ground squirrels and sheep. In the greater short-nosed fruit bat, copulation by males is dorsoventral and the females lick the shaft or the base of the male's penis, but not the glans which has already penetrated the vagina. While the females do this, the penis is not withdrawn and research has shown a positive relationship between length of the time that the penis is licked and the duration of copulation. Post copulation genital grooming has also been observed.
  • Homosexuality: Same-sex sexual behaviour occurs in a range of species, especially in social species, particularly in marine birds and mammals, monkeys, and the great apes. As of 1999, the scientific literature contained reports of homosexual behaviour in at least 471 wild species. Organisers of the Against Nature? exhibit stated that "homosexuality has been observed among 1,500 species, and that in 500 of those it is well documented."
A male black and white tegu mounts a female that has been dead for two days and attempts to mate.
  • Genital-genital rubbing: This is sexual activity in which one animal rubs his or her genitals against the genitals of another animal. This is stated to be the "bonobo's most typical sexual pattern, undocumented in any other primate".
  • Inter-species mating: Some animals opportunistically mate with individuals of another species.
  • Sex involving juveniles: Male stoats (Mustela erminea) will sometimes mate with infant females of their species. This is a natural part of their reproductive biology—they have a delayed gestation period, so these females give birth the following year when they are fully grown. Juvenile male common chimpanzees have been recorded mounting and copulating with immature chimps. Infants in bonobo societies are often involved in sexual behaviour.
  • Necrophilia: This describes when an animal engages in a sexual act with a dead animal. It has been observed in mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs.
  • Bisexuality: This describes when an animal shows sexual behaviour towards both males and females.
  • Extended female sexuality: This is when females mate with males outside of their conceptive period.

Seahorse

Seahorses, once considered to be monogamous species with pairs mating for life, were described in a 2007 study as "promiscuous, flighty, and more than a little bit gay". Scientists at 15 aquaria studied 90 seahorses of three species. Of 3,168 sexual encounters, 37% were same-sex acts. Flirting was common (up to 25 potential partners a day of both sexes); only one species (the British spiny seahorse) included faithful representatives, and for these 5 of 17 were faithful, 12 were not. Bisexual behaviour was widespread and considered "both a great surprise and a shock", with big-bellied seahorses of both sexes not showing partner preference. 1,986 contacts were male-female, 836 were female-female and 346 were male-male.

Bonobo

Among bonobos, males and females engage in sexual behaviour with the same and the opposite sex, with females being particularly noted for engaging in sexual behaviour with each other and at up to 75% of sexual activity being non-reproductive, as being sexually active does not necessarily correlate with their ovulation cycles. Sexual activity occurs between almost all ages and sexes of bonobo societies. Primatologist Frans de Waal believes that bonobos use sexual activity to resolve conflict between individuals. Immature bonobos, contrariwise, perform genital contact when relaxed.

Macaque

Similar same-sex sexual behaviours occur in both male and female macaques. It is thought to be done for pleasure as an erect male mounts and thrusts upon or into another male. Sexual receptivity can also be indicated by red faces and shrieking. Mutual ejaculation after a combination of anal intercourse and masturbation has also been witnessed, although it may be rare. In comparison to socio-sexual behaviours such as dominance displays, homosexual mounts last longer, happen in series, and usually involve pelvic thrusting.

Females are also thought to participate for pleasure as vulvar, perineal, and anal stimulation is part of these interactions. The stimulation can come from their own tails, mounting their partner, thrusting or a combination of these.

Dolphin

Male bottlenose dolphins have been observed working in pairs to follow or restrict the movement of a female for weeks at a time, waiting for her to become sexually receptive. The same pairs have also been observed engaging in intense sexual play with each other. Janet Mann, a professor of biology and psychology at Georgetown University, argues that the common same-sex behaviour among male dolphin calves is about bond formation and benefits the species evolutionarily. Studies have shown the dolphins later in life are bisexual and the male bonds forged from homosexuality work for protection as well as locating females with which to reproduce.

In 1991, an English man was prosecuted for allegedly having sexual contact with a dolphin. The man was found not guilty after it was revealed at trial that the dolphin was known to tow bathers through the water by hooking his penis around them.

Hyena

The female spotted hyena has a unique urinary-genital system, closely resembling the penis of the male, called a pseudo-penis. Dominance relationships with strong sexual elements are routinely observed between related females. They are notable for using visible sexual arousal as a sign of submission but not dominance in males as well as females (females have a sizeable erectile clitoris). It is speculated that to facilitate this, their sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems may be partially reversed in respect to their reproductive organs.

Mating behaviour

See also: Mating call

Vertebrates

Mammals

Further information: Mammalian reproduction and Social monogamy in mammalian species

Mammals mate by vaginal copulation. To achieve this, the male usually mounts the female from behind. The female may exhibit lordosis in which she arches her back ventrally to facilitate entry of the penis, which is particularly present in elephants, felids, and rodents. Amongst the land mammals, other than humans, only bonobos mate in a face-to-face position, as the females' anatomy seems to reflect, although ventro-ventral copulation has also been observed in Rhabdomys. Some sea mammals copulate in a belly-to-belly position. Some camelids mate in a lying-down position. In most mammals ejaculation occurs after multiple intromissions, but in most primates, copulation consists of one brief intromission. In most ruminant species, a single pelvic thrust occurs during copulation. In most deer species, a copulatory jump also occurs.

During mating, a "copulatory tie" occurs in mammals such as fossas, canids with the exception of African wild dogs, and Japanese martens. A "copulatory lock" also occurs in some primate species, such as Galago senegalensis.

The copulatory behaviour of many mammalian species is affected by sperm competition.

Some females have concealed fertility, making it difficult for males to evaluate if a female is fertile - humans are amongst these species. This is costly as ejaculation expends much energy.

Invertebrates

See also: Mating of gastropods
Courting garden snails. The one on the left has fired a love dart into the one on the right.
A male star coral releases sperm into the water.

Invertebrates are often hermaphrodites. Some hermaphroditic land snails begin mating with an elaborate tactile courting ritual. The two snails circle around each other for up to six hours, touching with their tentacles, and biting lips and the area of the genital pore, which shows some preliminary signs of the eversion of the penis. As the snails approach mating, hydraulic pressure builds up in the blood sinus surrounding an organ housing a sharpened dart. The dart is made of calcium carbonate or chitin, and is called a love dart. Each snail manoeuvres to get its genital pore in the best position, close to the other snail's body. Then, when the body of one snail touches the other snail's genital pore, it triggers the firing of the love dart. After the snails have fired their darts, they copulate and exchange sperm as a separate part of the mating progression. The love darts are covered with a mucus that contains a hormone-like substance that facilitates the survival of the sperm.

Penis fencing is a mating behaviour engaged in by certain species of flatworm, such as Pseudobiceros bedfordi. Species which engage in the practice are hermaphroditic, possessing both eggs and sperm-producing testes. The species "fence" using two-headed dagger-like penises which are pointed, and white in colour. One organism inseminates the other. The sperm is absorbed through pores in the skin, causing fertilisation.

Corals can be both gonochoristic (unisexual) and hermaphroditic, each of which can reproduce sexually and asexually. Reproduction also allows corals to settle new areas. Corals predominantly reproduce sexually. 25% of hermatypic corals (stony corals) form single sex (gonochoristic) colonies, while the rest are hermaphroditic. About 75% of all hermatypic corals "broadcast spawn" by releasing gametes – eggs and sperm – into the water to spread offspring. The gametes fuse during fertilisation to form a microscopic larva called a planula, typically pink and elliptical in shape. Synchronous spawning is very typical on the coral reef and often, even when multiple species are present, all corals spawn on the same night. This synchrony is essential so that male and female gametes can meet. Corals must rely on environmental cues, varying from species to species, to determine the proper time to release gametes into the water. The cues involve lunar changes, sunset time, and possibly chemical signalling. Synchronous spawning may form hybrids and is perhaps involved in coral speciation.

Butterflies spend much time searching for mates. When the male spots a mate, he will fly closer and release pheromones. He then performs a special courtship dance to attract the female. If the female appreciates the dancing she may join him. Then they join their bodies together end to end at their abdomens. Here, the male passes the sperm to the female's egg-laying tube, which will soon be fertilised by the sperm.

Many animals make plugs of mucus to seal the female's orifice after mating. Normally such plugs are secreted by the male, to block subsequent partners. In spiders the female can assist the process. Spider sex is unusual in that males transfer their sperm to the female on small limbs called pedipalps. They use these to pick their sperm up from their genitals and insert it into the female's sexual orifice, rather than copulating directly. On the 14 occasions a sexual plug was made, the female produced it without assistance from the male. On ten of these occasions the male's pedipalps then seemed to get stuck while he was transferring the sperm (which is rarely the case in other species of spider), and he had great difficulty freeing himself. In two of those ten instances, he was eaten as a result.

In the orb-weaving spider species Zygiella x-notata, individuals engage in a variety of sexual behaviors including male choosiness, mate guarding, and vibrational signaling in courtship.

Genetic evidence of interspecies sexual activity in humans

Main article: Humanzee

Research into human evolution confirms that, in some cases, interspecies sexual activity may have been responsible for the evolution of new species (speciation). Analysis of animal genes found evidence that, after humans had diverged from other apes, interspecies mating nonetheless occurred regularly enough to change certain genes in the new gene pool. Researchers found that the X chromosomes of humans and chimps may have diverged around 1.2 million years after the other chromosomes. One possible explanation is that modern humans emerged from a hybrid of human and chimp populations. A 2012 study questioned this explanation, concluding that "there is no strong reason to involve complicated factors in explaining the autosomal data".

Inbreeding avoidance

Main article: Inbreeding avoidance

When close relatives mate, progeny may exhibit the detrimental effects of inbreeding depression. Inbreeding depression is predominantly caused by the homozygous expression of recessive deleterious alleles. Over time, inbreeding depression may lead to the evolution of inbreeding avoidance behaviour. Several examples of animal behaviour that reduce mating of close relatives and inbreeding depression are described next.

Reproductively active female naked mole-rats tend to associate with unfamiliar males (usually non-kin), whereas reproductively inactive females do not discriminate. The preference of reproductively active females for unfamiliar males is interpreted as an adaptation for avoiding inbreeding.

When mice inbreed with close relatives in their natural habitat, there is a significant detrimental effect on progeny survival. In the house mouse, the major urinary protein (MUP) gene cluster provides a highly polymorphic scent signal of genetic identity that appears to underlie kin recognition and inbreeding avoidance. Thus there are fewer matings between mice sharing MUP haplotypes than would be expected if there were random mating.

Meerkat females appear to be able to discriminate the odour of their kin from the odour of their non-kin. Kin recognition is a useful ability that facilitates both cooperation among relatives and the avoidance of inbreeding. When mating does occur between meerkat relatives, it often results in inbreeding depression. Inbreeding depression was evident for a variety of traits: pup mass at emergence from the natal burrow, hind-foot length, growth until independence and juvenile survival.

The grey-sided vole (Myodes rufocanus) exhibits male-biased dispersal as a means of avoiding incestuous matings. Among those matings that do involve inbreeding the number of weaned juveniles in litters is significantly smaller than that from non-inbred litters indicating inbreeding depression.

In natural populations of the bird Parus major (great tit), inbreeding is likely avoided by dispersal of individuals from their birthplace, which reduces the chance of mating with a close relative. Dispersing to avoid inbreeding is a common behavior amongst animals, such as felids and canids, although inbreeding can still occur, albeit rarely.

Toads display breeding site fidelity, as do many amphibians. Individuals that return to natal ponds to breed will likely encounter siblings as potential mates. Although incest is possible, Bufo americanus siblings rarely mate. These toads likely recognise and actively avoid close kins as mates. Advertisement vocalisations by males appear to serve as cues by which females recognise their kin.

See also

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