science

List of animals displaying homosexual behavior

List of animals displaying homosexual behavior is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of animals displaying homosexual behavior rather than just read about it. In short: For these animals, there is documented evidence of homosexual behavior of one or more of the following kinds: sex, courtship, affection, pair bonding, or parenting, as noted in researcher and author Bruce Bagemihl's 1999 book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. Bagemihl writes that the presence of same-sex sexual behavior was not "officially" observed on a large scale until the 1990s d…

Key takeaways

List of animals displaying homosexual behavior belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reference excerpt

For these animals, there is documented evidence of homosexual behavior of one or more of the following kinds: sex, courtship, affection, pair bonding, or parenting, as noted in researcher and author Bruce Bagemihl's 1999 book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. Bagemihl writes that the presence of same-sex sexual behavior was not "officially" observed on a large scale until the 1990s due to observer bias caused by social attitudes towards nonheterosexual people, making the homosexual theme taboo. Bagemihl devotes three chapters, "Two Hundred Years at Looking at Homosexual Wildlife", "Explaining (Away) Animal Homosexuality" and "Not For Breeding Only" in his 1999 book Biological Exuberance to the "documentation of systematic prejudices" where he notes "the present ignorance of biology lies precisely in its single-minded attempt to find reproductive (or other) 'explanations' for homosexuality, transgender, and non-procreative and alternative heterosexualities." Petter Bøckman, academic adviser for the Against Nature? exhibit, stated "[M]any researchers have described homosexuality as something altogether different from sex. They must realize that animals can have sex with who they will, when they will and without consideration to a researcher's ethical principles." Homosexual behavior is found amongst social birds and mammals, particularly the sea mammals and the primates. In 1986, it was even discovered amongst insects when butterfly scientist W.J. Tennent observed four male Mazarine blues competing for the attention of another male in Morocco. Sexual behavior takes many different forms, even within the same species and the motivations for and implications of their behaviors have yet to be fully understood. Bagemihl's research shows that homosexual behavior, not necessarily sex, has been documented in about five hundred species as of 1999, ranging from primates to gut worms. Homosexuality in animals is seen as controversial by social conservatives because it asserts the naturalness of homosexuality in humans, while others counter that it has no implications and is nonsensical to equate natural animal behaviors to morality. Sexual preference and motivation is always inferred from behavior. Thus homosexual behavior has been given a number of terms over the years. The correct usage of the term homosexual is that an animal exhibits homosexual behavior, however this article conforms to the usage by modern research, applying the term homosexuality to all sexual behavior (copulation, genital stimulation, mating games and sexual display behavior) between animals of the same sex. In October 2023, biologists reported studies of mammals (over 1,500 different species) that found same-sex behavior (not necessarily related to human orientation) may help improve social stability by reducing conflict within the groups studied.

Mammals

Selected mammals from the full list

Birds

Homosexual behaviour is demonstrated by 120 known species of birds. While an uptick in research on bird homosexuality – and animal homosexuality in general – has been coming out in recent years, it is common for some authors to labour in articulating the view any root cause or function of bird homosexuality is poorly understood. Hypotheses contrived in an attempt to explain the behaviour – homosexuality in birds – typically diverge from one another, further exacerbating an apparent perception in the concerned scientific communities knowledge's quest to realise bird homosexuality remains elusive as an objective. Some authors posit the behaviours are a result of any bird demonstrably homosexual being less inclined to rear young, while other authors posit the timing of emergence from the egg is a factor. In 1977, The New York Times also reported on a colony of lesbian seagulls "off [the] coast of California."

Selected birds from the full list

Fish

Reptiles

The all-female Whiptail lizard species Aspidoscelis neomexicanus (center), which reproduces via parthenogenesis, is shown flanked by two sexual species having males, A. inornatus (left) and A. tigris (right). Research has shown that simulated mating behavior increases fertility for Aspidoscelis neomexicanus. One female lies on top of another, playing the role of the male, the lizard that was on bottom has larger eggs, in most cases. The lizards switch off this role each mating season.

Amphibians

Appalachian woodland salamander Black-spotted frog Mountain dusky salamander Tengger desert toad

Insects

Male homosexuality has been inferred in several species of dragonflies. A survey of damsel and dragonflies reveals characteristic cloacal pincher mating damage in 20–80 percent of the males, indicating a fairly high occurrence of sexual coupling between males.

Other invertebrates

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of animals displaying homosexual behavior

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of animals displaying homosexual behavior claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of animals displaying homosexual behavior before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of animals displaying homosexual behavior ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of animals displaying homosexual behavior

In research: List of animals displaying homosexual behavior appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of animals displaying homosexual behavior in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of animals displaying homosexual behavior is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Lists of animals, Lists of animals displaying homosexual behavior, Sexual orientation and science, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of animals displaying homosexual behavior outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of animals displaying homosexual behavior in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is List of animals displaying homosexual behavior in simple terms?

Why does List of animals displaying homosexual behavior matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of animals displaying homosexual behavior?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of animals displaying homosexual behavior.