According to a recent study, almost every kind of animal on Earth engages in same-sex sexual behavior whether intentional or natural. Lead scientist on the study, Nathan Bailey, says the list includes, among others, dolphins , penguins, frogs and birds . "It's clear that same-sex sexual behavior extends far beyond the well-known examples that dominate both the scientific and popular literature," said Bailey, a postdoctoral researcher of biology at University of California, Riverside . The study was published in today's edition of the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution . In some cases the animals are not aware that they are engaging in same-sex sexual behaviors. One example are male fruit flies . According to the study, males in some cases will unintentionally cater to other male flies because they lack a gene which allows them to determine the sexes of other fruit flies. Bottle nose dolphins have also been known to sometimes engage in same-sex sexual behavior as a way to socially bond with other dolphins. "Like any other behavior that doesn't lead directly to reproduction — such as aggression or altruism — same-sex behavior can have evolutionary consequences that are just now beginning to be considered," Bailey said. He added that "same-sex behaviors — courtship , mounting or parenting — are traits that may have been shaped by natural selection, a basic mechanism of evolution that occurs over successive generations."
According to a recent study, almost every kind of animal on engages in same-sex sexual behavior whether intentional or natural. Lead scientist on the study, Nathan Bailey, says the list includes, among others, , penguins, frogs and . "It's clear that same-sex sexual behavior extends far beyond the well-known examples that dominate both the scientific and popular literature," said Bailey, a postdoctoral researcher of biology at . The study was published in today's edition of the journal . In some cases the animals are not aware that they are engaging in same-sex sexual behaviors. One example are male . According to the study, males in some cases will unintentionally cater to other male flies because they lack a gene which allows them to determine the sexes of other fruit flies. have also been known to sometimes engage in same-sex sexual behavior as a way to socially bond with other dolphins. "Like any other behavior that doesn't lead directly to reproduction — such as aggression or — same-sex behavior can have evolutionary consequences that are just now beginning to be considered," Bailey said. He added that "same-sex behaviors — , mounting or parenting — are traits that may have been shaped by natural selection, a basic mechanism of evolution that occurs over successive generations."
D
Earth
D
dolphins
D
birds
D
University of California, Riverside
D
Trends in Ecology and Evolution
D
fruit flies
D
Bottle nose dolphins
D
altruism
D
courtship