.H 1 "Homosexuality/Bisexuality in the Animal Kingdom"

.BL
.LI
.I
Judd Marmor, "Homosexual Behavior," 1980; chapter 1:  Ambisexuality
in Animals, by R. H. Denniston, p. 34
.R
.P
Frequent homosexual activity has been described for all species of
mammals of which careful observations have been made.  This behavior is
so common in domestic stock as to attract little notice from the
husbandman, unless he chooses to use it for some specific purpose.  Cows
in heat so frequently mount other cows that the behavior is considered
diagnostic of the estrous condition.  Young bulls or steers are often
used as "teasers" to arouse mature bulls in preparation for the
collection of ejaculates for use in artificial insemination. 
.P
 ...Geist (1974) in his mountain sheep demonstrates that male-male
mounting is a "normal" part of dominance behavior and happens frequently
in this context.  Dominant rams court and mount the estrous ewe as they
do the subordinate ram. ... When a dominant ram is courting and
copulating with an estrous ewe, the subordinate males become excited and
mount each other indiscriminately.  Geist counted sixty-nine male
homosexual mounts out of one hundred encounters in such a situation.
Feral goats show the same behavior.  Rams may ejaculate at any time
during the year in homosexual interaction.
.P
 ...[p. 35] Young (1961) describes estrous mounting in twelve species of
animals ranging from the shrew to the chimpanzee.  
.P
 ...[p. 37] According to McBride and Hebb (1948) ... the mature male
dolphin has perhaps as broad an array of self-stimulating methods as has
the mature human male.  The males show evidence of sexual excitation
throughout the year.  Much of this evidence is in the area of homosexual
behavior.
.P
 ...Both male and female homosexual behaviors are shown in the primates,
but the former is more obvious and may go to apparent climax per anum.
.P
 ...[p. 38] Female primate homosexual behavior seems to take the form of
mutual grooming, including oral contacts with the external genitalia and
occasional mounts. 
.P 
 ...Cow elephants in one-sexed groups spend much time masturbating each
other with their trunks (Morris, 1970).
.P 
 ...This survey of homosexual activity among lower animals should serve
to explode several widely held misconceptions.  First, it certainly is
not a uniquely human practice.  It occurs in every type of animal that
has been carefully studied.  Second, it has little relation to hormonal
or structural abnormality.  Even as lowly an organism as the fish show
homosexuality related to social dominance-subordination conditioning
rather than to endocrine aberrations.  It is behavioral preconditioning
that is directive, with hormones playing a permissive or generalized
activating role.
.LE