Chimps Swing Both Ways
By Hannah Isom
Darwinian myths that sex is merely a means to reproduce are set to be truly disproved by the opening of the first exhibition to explore homosexuality in the animal kingdom, at the Norwegian Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo.
Far from being the preserve of humans, homosexual behaviour has been observed in over 1,500 species to date. The most well-known homosexual animal is coincidentally, one of man's closest relatives, the bonobo or dwarf chimpanzee. This entire species is bisexual, and it would seem that they prefer to 'make love not war', using sex to diffuse situations of conflict.
Chimpanzees are not the only species to use sex to take the focus away from violence. When meetings between different species of dolphin become aggressive, they ditch the handbags at dawn in favour of partaking in a sex orgy to break the tension.
Same sex encounters can also be a way of strengthening bonds within a group. In apes, it is the females who maintain the community within the group, and what better way than by sharing food, babysitting and a night of passion!
Other well documented homosexual animals include lions, killer whales and giraffes, for whom nine out of ten sexual pairings is between two males. Some species even mate in same-sex pairs for life, particularly birds such as geese and ducks, where roughly 4-5% of couples are gay. Female ducks have even been known to lay their eggs in the nests of same-sex couples, allowing them a chance of parenthood not afforded to them by nature.
For animals who are unable to find a partner of either gender to share those cold lonely nights with, there is still the good old do-it-yourself method. Masturbation is common among animals and according to Peter Boeckman of the Norwegian Natural History Museum "there are plenty of animals who will masturbate when they have nothing better to do". Masturbation has apparently observed among primates, deer and penguins. Both males and females rub themselves against anything that's lying around, such as stones and roots. The prize for ingenuity, however, has to go to orangutans, who have been known to fashion their own dildos from bits of wood and tree bark.
This new exhibition will go a long way to inform the public on a subject that has long been considered taboo among scientists. It is thought the fear of being ridiculed is one of the reasons many researchers steer clear of such studies. Understandable really, I suppose nobody wants to be the person stuck at a dinner party next to the guy who studies the masturbatory habits of penguins, do they?
To read more about Hannah or to view more of her articles click here.
In a similar vein:
Sex games on MySpace
No sex please, we're rotifers
Big blow for lovers
David Thomas, Portbury
"Well Dave, without conducting my own research, I can only hazard a guess that it involves icicles."
Hannah Isom
"An interesting read, and shows how homophobic the human race has become."
James, nowhere in particular
"This actually comes as no shock to me. I have a homosexual dog at home, and I can document a few convincing reasons I believe this."
Nathan Brown, out there
"And you only thought humans got creative with sex."
Gemma Segarra, New York
"I want to be an orangutan in my next life."
Bianca, Armenia
Far from being the preserve of humans, homosexual behaviour has been observed in over 1,500 species to date. The most well-known homosexual animal is coincidentally, one of man's closest relatives, the bonobo or dwarf chimpanzee. This entire species is bisexual, and it would seem that they prefer to 'make love not war', using sex to diffuse situations of conflict.
Chimpanzees are not the only species to use sex to take the focus away from violence. When meetings between different species of dolphin become aggressive, they ditch the handbags at dawn in favour of partaking in a sex orgy to break the tension.
Same sex encounters can also be a way of strengthening bonds within a group. In apes, it is the females who maintain the community within the group, and what better way than by sharing food, babysitting and a night of passion!
Other well documented homosexual animals include lions, killer whales and giraffes, for whom nine out of ten sexual pairings is between two males. Some species even mate in same-sex pairs for life, particularly birds such as geese and ducks, where roughly 4-5% of couples are gay. Female ducks have even been known to lay their eggs in the nests of same-sex couples, allowing them a chance of parenthood not afforded to them by nature.
For animals who are unable to find a partner of either gender to share those cold lonely nights with, there is still the good old do-it-yourself method. Masturbation is common among animals and according to Peter Boeckman of the Norwegian Natural History Museum "there are plenty of animals who will masturbate when they have nothing better to do". Masturbation has apparently observed among primates, deer and penguins. Both males and females rub themselves against anything that's lying around, such as stones and roots. The prize for ingenuity, however, has to go to orangutans, who have been known to fashion their own dildos from bits of wood and tree bark.
This new exhibition will go a long way to inform the public on a subject that has long been considered taboo among scientists. It is thought the fear of being ridiculed is one of the reasons many researchers steer clear of such studies. Understandable really, I suppose nobody wants to be the person stuck at a dinner party next to the guy who studies the masturbatory habits of penguins, do they?
To read more about Hannah or to view more of her articles click here.
In a similar vein:
Sex games on MySpace
No sex please, we're rotifers
Big blow for lovers
Image: David White/SXC
"How does a penguin masturbate? It's got to be tricky with only flippers to help you along."Your Say
David Thomas, Portbury
"Well Dave, without conducting my own research, I can only hazard a guess that it involves icicles."
Hannah Isom
"An interesting read, and shows how homophobic the human race has become."
James, nowhere in particular
"This actually comes as no shock to me. I have a homosexual dog at home, and I can document a few convincing reasons I believe this."
Nathan Brown, out there
"And you only thought humans got creative with sex."
Gemma Segarra, New York
"I want to be an orangutan in my next life."
Bianca, Armenia
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