Researching same-sex behaviors in animals can be difficult Shutterstock That’s because animal observation is a costly and time-consuming process. While exclusive homosexual orientation has been observed in about 10 percent of male domesticated sheep, researchers rarely watch animals long enough to say whether they have lifelong sexual orientations. ![]() These behaviors can include sexual and genital contact courtship, affection, pair-bonding behaviors (like hugging, nuzzling, licking, and grooming) and parenting offspring. Same-sex behaviors have been observed in over 1,500 species in every major animal group and significant geographic region worldwide - including birds, insects, primates, reptiles, fish, invertebrates, and ocean mammals - according to a 2009 University of California study. Instead, most scientists will say that animals exhibit “same-sex behaviors” or “homosexual behaviors.” Scientists use these phrases to avoid “anthropomorphizing” animals and seeing them as “imperfect copies of humans,” biologist Marlene Zuk explained. ![]() However, scientists don’t call animals “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” or “queer” because the word connotes a human sexual orientation with strong cultural and political implications that are irrelevant to non-human species.
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