Thread: 1,500 animal species practice homosexuality

Homosexuality is quite common in the animal kingdom, especially among herding animals. Many animals solve conflicts by practicing same gender sex.
From the middle of October until next summer the Norwegian Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo will host the first exhibition that focuses on homosexuality in the animal kingdom.

"One fundamental premise in social debates has been that homosexuality is unnatural. This premise is wrong. Homosexuality is both common and highly essential in the lives of a number of species," explains Petter Boeckman, who is the academic advisor for the "Against Nature's Order?" exhibition.

The most well-known homosexual animal is the dwarf chimpanzee, one of humanity's closes relatives. The entire species is bisexual. Sex plays an conspicuous role in all their activities and takes the focus away from violence, which is the most typical method of solving conflicts among primates and many other animals.

"Sex among dwarf chimpanzees is in fact the business of the whole family, and the cute little ones often lend a helping hand when they engage in oral sex with each other."

Lions are also homosexual. Male lions often band together with their brothers to lead the pride. To ensure loyalty, they strengthen the bonds by often having sex with each other.

Homosexuality is also quite common among dolphins and killer whales. The pairing of males and females is fleeting, while between males, a pair can stay together for years. Homosexual sex between different species is not unusual either. Meetings between different dolphin species can be quite violent, but the tension is often broken by a "sex orgy".

Homosexuality is a social phenomenon and is most widespread among animals with a complex herd life.

Among the apes it is the females that create the continuity within the group. The social network is maintained not only by sharing food and the child rearing, but also by having sex. Among many of the female apes the sex organs swell up. So they rub their abdomens against each other," explains Petter Bockman and points out that animals have sex because they have the desire to, just like we humans.

Homosexual behaviour has been observed in 1,500 animal species.

"We're talking about everything from mammals to crabs and worms. The actual number is of course much higher. Among some animals homosexual behaviour is rare, some having sex with the same gender only a part of their life, while other animals, such as the dwarf chimpanzee, homosexuality is practiced throughout their lives."

Animals that live a completely homosexual life can also be found. This occurs especially among birds that will pair with one partner for life, which is the case with geese and ducks. Four to five percent of the couples are homosexual. Single females will lay eggs in a homosexual pair's nest. It has been observced that the homosexual couple are often better at raising the young than heterosexual couples.

When you see a colony of black-headed gulls, you can be sure that almost every tenth pair is lesbian. The females have no problems with being impregnated, although, according to Petter Boeckman they cannot be defined as bisexual.

"If a female has sex with a male one time, but thousands of times with another female, is she bisexual or homosexual? This is the same way to have children is not unknown among homosexual people."

Indeed, there is a number of animals in which homosexual behaviour has never been observed, such as many insects, passerine birds and small mammals.

"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 sea urchins and aphis. Moreover, a part of the animal kingdom is hermaphroditic, truly bisexual. For them, homosexuality is not an issue."

Petter Bockman regrets that there is too little research about homosexuality among animals.

"The theme has long been taboo. The problem is that researchers have not seen for themselves that the phenomenon exists or they have been confused when observing homosexual behaviour or that they are fearful of being ridiculed by their colleagues. Many therefore overlook the abundance of material that is found. 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."

One example of overlooking behaviour noted by Petter Bockman is a description of mating among giraffes, when nine out of ten pairings occur between males.

"Every male that sniffed a female was reported as sex, while anal intercourse with orgasm between males was only "revolving around" dominance, competition or greetings.

Masturbation is common in the animal kingdom.

"Masturbation is the simplest method of self pleasure. We have a Darwinist 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 dildos of wood and bark," says Petter Boeckman of the Norwegian Natural History Museum.

1,500 animal species practice homosexuality

That is fine Willy. Nobody is saying homosexuality should be banned. We are just saying it is different to heterosexuality.

Marriage is a heterosexual cultural institution. Maybe we should make a new cultural structure to recognise the similar but also different practice of homosexual pair-bonding.

Numerous life forms practice asexual reproduction.

^

Hey Jeff,

I reckon you and willy suck the sauce out of each other.

No, it's not normal behavior Jeff, it's Ok for Girls to do it but you and Willy felching each other ain't very nice is it.

But Looper, one week ago you claimed that it is not common in the natural world. Guess what, you are wrong.

Originally Posted by Looper

pair-bonding.

Yep, I call it marriage.

So what?

Means humans can excuse their preverted behavior because animals do it?

Originally Posted by kingwilly

1,500 animal species practice homosexuality

do any of these 1500 mince around and speak in falsetto voices ?

Hopefully, they don't do big gay Mardi Gras processions.

I recon the next Teakdoor piss up will be to celebrate Willy and Jeff's Marriage.

So what size Dildo do you want Willy ?

You want the 12 incher or the regular 24 incher.

Proof indeed that the deadly shifter disease can cross between species.

Originally Posted by kmart

Hopefully, they don't do big gay Mardi Gras processions.

Lions might ...

ions are also homosexual. Male lions often band together with their brothers to lead the pride.

Gay lion's pride? Or a lion's gay pride?

"Sex among dwarf chimpanzees is in fact the business of the whole family, and the cute little ones often lend a helping hand when they engage in oral sex with each other."

I dont know what point you are trying to make with this thread, but if you are trying to promote the behaviour of chimps that cheerfully engage in incestuous oral sex with normal human sexuality then you need to go back to the drawing board.

many animals cheerfully eat their own feces too.

Originally Posted by VocalNeal

My only complaint about homosexuality is that rather than confine the activity to the privacy of one's home they have to prance around the street dressed in feathers and try to persuade everyone that their behavior is perfectly normal.

If everybody accepted homosexuality, homosexuals would probably not feel they had to do that and you would not have to see them "prance around the street dressed in feathers". The choice is yours. Accept or watch the feathers dancing?

But no where in the study does it say that sticking one's dick in someone's bum produces more female offspring

That's at the end of the paper, in the section on areas for future research. To be honest, it sounds like a project worth pursuing. I'm up for it. How about you? I've already got the funding request in and I'm feeling pretty confident on this one.

Originally Posted by taxexile

"Sex among dwarf chimpanzees is in fact the business of the whole family, and the cute little ones often lend a helping hand when they engage in oral sex with each other."

I dont know what point you are trying to make with this thread, but if you are trying to promote the behaviour of chimps that cheerfully engage in incestuous oral sex with normal human sexuality then you need to go back to the drawing board.

many animals cheerfully eat their own feces too.

So do Germans.

Oh sorry, that's other peoples'.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

But Looper, one week ago you claimed that it is not common in the natural world. Guess what, you are wrong.

I do think a lot of this 'research' and academic 'literature' is conformist crap cow-towing to the PC agenda to ensure future funding. But even if there are homosexual hedgehogs it does not really have much bearing on the gay marriage debate.

Marriage is still a heterosexual institution.

Originally Posted by Looper

Originally Posted by kingwilly

But Looper, one week ago you claimed that it is not common in the natural world. Guess what, you are wrong.

I do think a lot of this 'research' and academic 'literature' is conformist crap cow-towing to the PC agenda to ensure future funding. But even if there are homosexual hedgehogs it does not really have much bearing on the gay marriage debate.

Marriage is still a heterosexual institution.

You cannot logically claim that homosexuality is unnatural because it does not occur in the animal kingdom and then when presented with evidence to the contrary simultaneously claim that their is no parallel anyway and dismiss the scientific evidence as being wrong just because it does not support your argument. I have more faith in a peer reviewed scientific study than your out dated world views and opinions.

do any of these species practice clitoris licking ?

Originally Posted by baldrick

do any of these species practice clitoris licking ?

Hedgehogs.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

You cannot logically claim that homosexuality is unnatural because it does not occur in the animal kingdom

Just because (if) it does appear in the animal kingdom it does not mean it is correct. Its occurrence is extremely rare and could be nothing more than a recurrent aberration like downs syndrome.

What occurs in the animal world isn't homosexuality.
It's incidences of dominance or submission being demonstrated.
It's not same sex attraction.

1,500 animal species practice homosexuality

How come there's no Starbucks in the jungle then? Or Justin Bieber concerts?

Originally Posted by kingwilly

You cannot logically claim that homosexuality is unnatural because it does not occur in the animal kingdom and then when presented with evidence to the contrary simultaneously claim that their is no parallel anyway and dismiss the scientific evidence as being wrong just because it does not support your argument. I have more faith in a peer reviewed scientific study than your out dated world views and opinions.

When the animal kingdom starts dressing up like this, and roar in a high pitched voice then science has a point.