Same-sex sexual behavior has been observed in many non-human species around the world. It’s now a widely recognized phenomenon, but a new study suggests there’s a stark discrepancy between how common the behavior is and how often it’s reported. According to this work, researchers often see same-sex sexual behavior in the mammals they study, but rarely publish information about it.
Homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom
Basically, same-sex sexual behavior is any sexual act – including mounting, sexual penetration, oral sex or other forms of sexual stimulation – between members of the same sex.
Homosexual behavior is extremely common and widespread in animal species, Josh Davis, of the Natural History Museum, London and author of A Bit of Gay Natural History explained to IFLScience.
“While only about 1,500 species have been officially recorded, this figure is likely to be a massive underestimate. That’s because it can be found on almost every branch of the evolutionary tree, from beetles and butterflies to turtles and squirrels, so the idea that it’s limited to just a few hundred species out of the 2.13 million described to date is highly improbable. . .”
Explanations for the evolutionary value of this behavior vary, Davis added, depending on the animal being examined. For example, “behavioral cues for flies will be different from those for primates.”
“However, in general, it has been suggested that homosexual behavior can be beneficial for a number of aspects, including social cohesion, stress relief and even just pure pleasure.”
But despite its frequency and widespread occurrence, same-sex sexual behavior is not often reported in the scientific literature. So what’s going on?
Publication on homosexuality in animals
According to a new study published by Karyn A. Anderson, a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Toronto, and colleagues, the lack of studies on same-sex sexual behavior may stem from the misperception that it is rare and therefore difficult to study. systematically. In the past, this belief that it is unusual was also mixed with contemporary moralistic ideas that saw it as deviant and “unnatural”. Of course, such thinking was often used in ethical debates about homosexuality in humans.
“Historically, there was definitely a fear that if a researcher published on these behaviors, they might in turn be linked to them, but in modern times it seems like there are other factors at play,” Davis told IFLScience.
Although attitudes changed during the 20sth century, the “rare” assumption has persisted in the scientific literature, despite the number of recorded cases continuing to increase. What has been missing is a systematic approach, but there may be reasons why this has not yet happened.
Journals moving away from publishing brief anecdotal observations is a widespread problem in behavioral ecology as it means that random but interesting behaviors – such as homosexuality – often go unreported.
Josh Davis
Anderson and her international team of colleagues believe that several methodological challenges, as well as this widespread belief about the rarity of the behavior, may explain the gap in publication data on the topic.
Their analysis showed that of 65 researchers who examined 52 different species, 77 percent observed same-sex sexual behavior, but only 48 percent collected data about it. In addition, only 19 percent of researchers published their findings.
It is interesting that the respondents in the research commented that their work was not influenced by sociopolitical factors. Instead, responses generally fell into three categories – first, that they were unable to collect data due to competing research priorities; second, that the topics for publication were not based on data related to this topic; and third, that the conduct was too rare or “anecdotal” to be considered worthy of publication.
This last point is important as it highlights a bias within the publishing industry surrounding anecdotal evidence – if it’s not “common”, it’s irrelevant. For example, in the field of primatology, as 21str century has passed, there has been a shift towards quotative and statistical approaches, which are preferred to short stories or anecdotal accounts.
“Journals moving away from publishing short anecdotal observations is a widespread problem in behavioral ecology as it means that random but interesting behaviors – such as homosexuality – often go unreported,” said Davis.
Anecdotes are extremely important to the study of things like same-sex sexual behavior, Anderson and colleagues also conclude, as they help us understand their importance in the study of sexual behavior in general.
“The availability of anecdotal reports of [same-sex sexual behaviour]therefore, it serves the benefit of the scientific community and allows us to better understand the variability and distribution of [same-sex sexual behavior] across mammals,” they write.
Therefore, expert surveys are useful tools in wildlife biology, team stress, especially regarding behaviors that are not often reported or believed to be rare. “Indeed, we found the use of an expert survey important and even necessary, given that most respondents have not published their observations about [same-sex sexual behavior] in their types of study. Expert surveys provide us with a means to access and examine these behaviors on a larger scale.”
Only through anecdotal reports and expert surveys do we see how widespread same-sex sexual behavior is. Although this study was based on a relatively small group of respondents, it supports the idea that future work should pay more attention to the value of these less fashionable ways of gathering and transmitting information, especially for the assumed behaviors of rare.
The paper is published in PLOS ONE.
Read an excerpt from Pak Gay’s Natural History and our exclusive interview with Josh Davis at July 2024 issue of CURIOUS.