The issue with finding homosexual behaviour in animals is that it’s never exclusive. Homosexual animals tend to be bisexual at best, and can often be chalked up to erroneous mating.
A lot of these studies are used to validate human homosexuality and harm the “it’s unnatural!” argument touted by conservatives. However using a Call to Nature is fallacious, and could be used to validate all number of animal behaviour.
An animal model of spontaneous exclusive homosexuality has however been described in sheep. About 8% of the males in a population studied in the western United States were shown to mate exclusively with other males, even when the choice was given between a male or female partner (Perkins and Roselli, 2007; Roselli et al., 2011b).
Silo appeared to be bisexual, but Roy was only interested in two males, one being Silo.
You do have a point though. For example, make cane toads will literally mate with anything they think they can mate with. Like soda cans. They don’t even see, to consider whether what they are humping has something for them to stick their cane toad penis in. Honestly, it’s amazing they breed so prolifically in Australia despite the lack of predators because they’re clearly very stupid.
Zoos shouldn’t be used for study though. As I don’t see bears walking back and forth all day in the wild. Lots of animals also do. It have long term partners the screw and move on.
The issue with finding homosexual behaviour in animals is that it’s never exclusive. Homosexual animals tend to be bisexual at best, and can often be chalked up to erroneous mating.
A lot of these studies are used to validate human homosexuality and harm the “it’s unnatural!” argument touted by conservatives. However using a Call to Nature is fallacious, and could be used to validate all number of animal behaviour.
Never is a strong word when that’s just not true
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7484171/
Huh, wasn’t aware of that. Well, after a bit more research, excluding that one species in that one study, there are no exclusively homosexual animals.
You see how a lack of scientific reporting on the subject makes it less likely that you find more examples, right?
Penguins are monogamous and that applies to gay penguins as well.
Here’s two that built a nest together https://mashable.com/article/same-sex-penguin-couple
But there definitely have been observed instances of long-term same-sex bonding pairs in nature and in zoo settings.
Most famously: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_and_Silo
Silo appeared to be bisexual, but Roy was only interested in two males, one being Silo.
You do have a point though. For example, make cane toads will literally mate with anything they think they can mate with. Like soda cans. They don’t even see, to consider whether what they are humping has something for them to stick their cane toad penis in. Honestly, it’s amazing they breed so prolifically in Australia despite the lack of predators because they’re clearly very stupid.
Zoos shouldn’t be used for study though. As I don’t see bears walking back and forth all day in the wild. Lots of animals also do. It have long term partners the screw and move on.
Penguins have long term partners in the wild too.