Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity

Gadeau de Kerville (1896); Grollet and L. Lepinay (1908) “L’inversion sexuelle chez les animaux” (Sexual Inversion in Animals), Revue de l’hypnotisme 23:34-37; Savanna Baboon (Marais 1922/1969); Bengalese Finch (Masatomi 1957); Ostrich (Sauer 1972); Long-eared Hedgehog (Poduschka 1981); Whiptail Lizard (Crews and Young 1991).

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Mazarine Blue (Tennent 1987:81-82).

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Domestic Cattle (Klemm et al. 1983:187); Elephants (Rosse 1892:799); Lion (Cooper 1942:26-28); Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Myers 1989); Domestic Turkey (Hale 1955:1059); Spinner Dolphin (Wells 1984:470); Killer Whale (Rose 1992:112); Caribou (Bergerud 1974:420); Adélie Penguin (Davis et al. 1998:137); Black-billed Magpie (Baeyens 1979:39-40); Guianan Cock-of the-Rock (Trail 1985a:238-39); Sage Grouse (Scott 1942:494). Other terms, while not necessarily derogatory, reflect scientists’ particular interpretations of such behavior as substitute or counterproductive activities: same-sex mounting in Gorillas is called “vicarious” sexual activity (Fossey 1983:74, 188—89), and homosexual mounting in African Buffalo is categorized as “barren sexual behavior” (Mloszewski 1983:186). See also the subsequent section “Mock Courtships and Sham Matings” for discussion of the widespread use of terms such as false or mock sexual behavior to characterize homosexual activity, and chapters 4 and 5 for other interpretations of homosexuality.

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Long-eared Hedgehog (Poduschka 1981:84, 87); Eastern Gray Kangaroo (Grant 1974:74); Black-crowned Night Heron (Noble et al. 1938:29); King Penguin (Gillespie 1932:95, 98); Gorilla (Harcourt 1988:59); Lorikeets (Low 1977:24); Red Fox (Macdonald 1987:101); Greenshank (Nethersole-Thompson and Nethersole-Thompson 1979:112—13; Nethersole-Thompson 1951:109).

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This is not to say, of course, that homosexual “advances” are never unwanted. Various forms of nonconsensual courtship or sexual approaches between animals of the same sex have been reported in about a quarter of the mammal and bird species exhibiting homosexuality. However, in many cases they co-occur with “consensual” homosexual interactions in the same species, from which they are clearly distinguished by behavioral indications of unwillingness on the part of one partner. As in nonconsensual heterosexual interactions (which are reported in more than a third of the species in which homosexual behavior has been documented and in general are equally, if not more, prevalent in animals—see chapter 5), there is actually a continuum of disinterest and “refusal” behavior. An animal may signal its unwillingness by not permitting any sexual approaches or contact at all, by permitting sexual contact but not facilitating the interaction, or by actively interrupting contact (either by trying to get away or by attacking the other animal). Assertions by scientists of “unwanted” homosexual attentions are usually anthropomorphic projections made regardless of whether such behavioral evidence is present (or what degree of nonconsensuality is involved).

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Mountain Sheep (Geist 1975:100); Rhesus Macaque (Carpenter 1942:137, 151-52); Laughing Gull (Noble and Wurm 1943:205—6); Cattle Egret (Fujioka and Yamagishi 1981:139); Sage Grouse (Gibson and Bradbury 1986:396); Orang-utan (Rijksen 1978:264-65); Kob (Buechner and Schloeth 1965:211-12, 217, 219); Ostrich (Sauer 1972:729, 733); Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (Trail and Koutnik 1986:210-11, 215); Mallard Duck (Schutz 1965:458); Rhesus Macaque (Kempf 1917:136). One zoologist also reveals something of his own misconceptions concerning both homosexual and heterosexual intercourse when he expresses surprise that a female Bonobo “on the bottom” during a lesbian interaction does not appear to mind—in fact, visibly enjoys—being in that position: “If we were on the bottom being held down, we would probably feel submissive and inferior, but female pygmy chimpanzees seem not to take it that way … the female on the bottom … looks proud and affectionate” (Kano 1992:193).

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Greylag Goose (Huber and Martys 1993:161); see Lorenz (1991:241—42) on gander pairs being more closely bonded than heterosexual pairs.

23

Ocellated Antbird (Willis 1973:31); on heterosexual divorce in Antbirds, see Willis (1983:414).

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