Michael Bryan

Written by Michael Bryan

Modified & Updated: 30 Dec 2023

Sherman Smith

Reviewed by Sherman Smith

gay animals, homosexual animals, penguins
  1. Same-sex pairing is common in the animal kingdom.
  2. Homosexual behavior is best known from social species like dolphins.
  3. There are more than 1,000 species that practice same-sex coupling.
  4. The dwarf chimpanzee is entirely a bisexual.
  5. Homosexual behavior in animals has been observed for more than 2,000 years ago.
  1. Karl-Maria Kertbeny coined the term homosexual in 1868.
  2. The ancient Greeks don’t have words to indicate the difference between “heterosexual” and “homosexual.”
  3. The only difference in ancient Greek sexual relations was on which party was taking an active or passive role.
  4. Homosexual animals can have same-sex sexual activity, courtship, affection, pair bonding, and parenting among same-sex animal pairs.
  5. Aristotle identified the same-sex mating between pigeons, partridges, and quails.
  6. Zoologist Ferdinand Karsch-Haack wrote the first review of animal homosexuality in 1900.
  7. Many scientists today believe that sexual orientation is most likely the result of a complex interaction of survival, social and biological factors.
  8. The researchers are still in the progress of understanding the motivations and implications of homosexuality.
  9. The word ‘homosexual’ comes from a Greek and Latin hybrid word where ‘homo’ means ‘same’.
  10. Most animals are homosexual due to a lack of heterosexual partners.
  1. More than twenty species of bats have been identified to engage in homosexual activity.
  2. Homosexual activities increase social bonds in the animal kingdom.
  3. Birds such as vultures, geese, and ducks are known to have one partner for life, thus, they do the same with the same-sex partner.
  4. Homosexual pair performs a significant social duty, such as guarding colonies and raising couples’ suckling.
  5. More than 80% of New Zealand’s sea lion males solely mate with other males.
Table of Contents

Homosexual Animals Facts Infographics

Homosexual Animals Facts Infographics

Rams prefer engaging in sexual activity with the same sex.

sheep, rams, ewes
Photo by Jørgen Håland

The male sheep, rams, prefer to engage in sexual activity with the same sex rather than female sheep, ewes. Furthermore, around 18% – 22% of rams are bisexual. Rams regularly perform the same courtship behaviors before mounting other rams as observed when other rams court and mount ewes. Moreover, pelvic thrusting and ejaculation often accompany same-sex mounts by them.

Male giraffes engage in exceptional homosexual behavior.

giraffes
Photo by Ellicia

The male giraffes are found to engage in exceptional frequencies of homosexual behavior. They start with vigorous necking then proceed to caress and court each other. Then, finally mounting and climax. Studies show 94% of such incidents happen between two male giraffes, and only 1% occur between two female giraffes.

Both male and female lions interact homosexually.

Lion and lioness
Photo by Jeremy Avery

It has been observed that both male and female lions interact homosexually. Male lions tend to bond for several days before initiating homosexual activity with affectionate nuzzling and caressing, then to mounting and thrusting. Female lions, on the other hand, occur more in captivity than in the wild.

Male elephants live apart from the herd for companionship with other individuals with sexual behavior.

elephants
Photo by Jakob Owens

The homosexual male elephants bond with same-sex and shows affectionate interactions such as trunk intertwining, putting trunks in each other’s mouths, and mounting. Often, male elephants live apart from their herd for companionship with other individuals with sexual behavior. These companionships usually last for years.

Male and female bottlenose dolphins both engage in homosexual behaviors.

bottlenose dolphins
Photo by Leon Overweel

Male bottlenose dolphins engage in sexual activities through rubbing of genitals, or inserting their penis in others’ anus or genital slit. Whereas female bottlenose dolphins insert their beaks in the genital slit of another while swimming. Homosexual bottlenose dolphins are known to have long periods of sexual intercourse. The male to male dolphin relationship is passionate and extreme. Male dolphins create pairs, trios or even larger groups and mount with one another from time to time. Both males and females usually mingle and fool around with the same sex before mating with the opposite sex.

Bonobos are bisexual and they engage in heterosexual and homosexual activities.

Bonobos
Photo by Markus Machner

Both male and female bonobos are bisexual and they engage in heterosexual and homosexual activities. 60% of same-sex sexual activities occur between two or more female bonobos. Female bonobo dominates in the bonobo society which is not common among apes.

Wild bison are known to frequently engage in male to male sexual activities.

Bison, Bulls
Photo by Yannick Menard

Homosexual activities between bulls are more common between bison. Female bison only mate with bulls once a year, and it is during the mating season, bulls tend to engage in more sexual activities with other bulls several times a day.

Macaques engage in both heterosexual and homosexual activities.

macaques
Photo by Jonathan Forage on Unsplash

Both males and females form bonds with the same sex that will last for days or weeks, mostly, with multiple partners of the same age. They engage in affectionate and playful activities. Interestingly, studies have shown that when female macaques face macaques of both genders, they will choose female macaques as sexual partners.

Albatrosses stay with their same-gender partners for life.

Albatross
Photo by Bevan Walker

Albatrosses are found in Oahu, Hawaii, and 30% of the pairings are female. During the mating season, female albatrosses mate with male albatrosses. Afterward, the female albatrosses will return to their nests to lay eggs and spend time with another female albatross. Each pair of mating albatross can only produce a single egg, where the parents take turns to incubate their eggs.

About one-quarter of black swans pairing are males.

Black swans
Photo by Ann Oliver

About one-quarter of black swans pairing are males. To obtain eggs, they form short-term threesomes with females but chase them away after laying eggs. In other cases, they also adopt abandoned eggs. The male swans spend enjoy each other’s company for life, raise chicks, and protect their common territory.

Male walruses are homosexual before they mature.

Walruses
Photo by Ian McFarlane

Male walruses are exclusively homosexual before reaching their maturity. These matured male walruses then become bisexual. Upon reaching maturity, they mate with female walruses during the breeding season and have sex only with male walruses after that.

Male penguin pairings are formed due to loneliness.

Penguins
Photo by Sergio Martínez

As early as the year 1911, it was observed and documented that penguins engage in homosexual behavior. Even in recent years, male penguin pairs are common in both zoos and the wild. More than 25% of the penguin colony in Antarctica are same-sex pairs, with a majority of them male pairings. One reason is the lack of female penguins in the colony and these male penguins feel ‘lonely’.

Warthogs form same-sex long-term bonds.

Warthogs
Photo by John White

Biologists observe that female warthogs form long-term pair bonds with other female warthogs. They show affection by mounting or riding with other females with their heads on the rear. They also raise their young together. Male warthogs have same-sex partners as well, but they do not engage in any sexual activity.

Female spotted hyenas have 'psuedopenises'.

Spotted hyenas
Photo by Mario Nonaka

It is difficult to determine the gender of spotted hyenas, moreover their sexuality. The female hyenas have masculine features, including male genitals. They have an elongated clitoris, where they urinate and give birth. The difference between the female and male genitals differs between the shape of the tip. The female has a blunt tip while the male has a pointed tip. Similar to female warthogs, the female spotted hyenas perform sexual activities with another female.

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