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 sharp discrepancy between how common the behavior is and how often it’s reported. According to the paper, scientists often see same-sex sexual behavior in the mammals they study, but rarely publish information about it.
Homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom
Same-sex sexual behavior is basically any sexual act – including fondling, sexual penetration, oral sexual contact 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 in London and author of A bit of gay natural history explained to IFLScience.
“Although only about 1,500 species have been officially recorded, this number is probably a significant underestimate. That’s because it can be found in almost every branch of the evolutionary tree, from beetles and butterflies to turtles and squirrels, making the idea that it’s limited to just a few hundred species out of the 2.13 million described so far incredibly unlikely. .”
Explanations for the evolutionary value of this behavior vary, Davis added, depending on the animal being studied. For example: “The behavior of flies will be different from that of primates”.
“Overall, it has been suggested that homosexual behavior can be beneficial for a number of aspects, including social cohesion, stress relief and even sheer pleasure.”
But despite its frequency and widespread occurrence, same-sex sexual behavior is not often reported in the scientific literature. So what is it about?
Publishing about homosexuality in animals
According to a new study published by Karyn A. Anderson, a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Toronto, and her colleagues, the lack of studies on same-sex sexual behavior may stem from the misconception that it is rare and therefore difficult to study. systematic. In the past, this belief that it was unusual also mixed with contemporary moralistic notions that saw it as deviant and “unnatural”. Of course, such thinking has often been deployed in ethical debates about homosexuality in humans.
“Historically, there was certainly concern that if a researcher published about this behavior they might be associated with it in return, but in modern times it seems like there are other factors at play,” Davis told IFLScience.
Although attitudes during the 20Thursday century, the “rare” assumption has persisted in the scientific literature, even though the number of recorded cases continues to grow. A systematic approach has been lacking, but there may be reasons why this has not yet occurred.
Journals refraining from publishing brief, anecdotal observations is a widespread problem in behavioral ecology because it means that infrequent but interesting behaviors—such as homosexuality—now often go unreported.
Josh Davis
Anderson and her international team of colleagues believe that certain methodological problems, as well as this pervasive belief in the rarity of the behavior, may explain the gap in the publication record for the topic.
Their analysis showed that of 65 researchers studying 52 different species, 77 percent had observed same-sex sexual behavior, but only 48 percent had collected data on it. Furthermore, only 19 percent of researchers published their findings.
Interestingly, survey respondents reported 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 did not rely on data related to that topic; and third, that the conduct was too rare or “unofficial” to be considered worthy of publication.
This last point is important because it highlights the bias in the publishing industry regarding anecdotal evidence – if it’s not “common” it’s irrelevant. For example, in the field of primatology, because the 21st centuryHoly century, there has been a shift towards quota and statistical approaches that are favored over short stories or anecdotal accounts.
“Journals refraining from publishing brief, anecdotal observations is a widespread problem in behavioral ecology because it means that occasional but interesting behaviors — such as homosexuality — are now often underreported,” Davis said.
Anecdotes are extremely important to the study of things like same-sex sexual behavior, Anderson and colleagues also conclude, because they help us understand their meaning within the study of sexual behavior more generally.
“Availability of unofficial reports about [same-sex sexual behaviour]therefore, it benefits the scientific community and allows us to better understand variability and distribution [same-sex sexual behavior] across mammals,” they write.
Expert surveys are therefore useful tools in wildlife biology, the team points out, especially in relation to behaviors that are not often reported or assumed to be rare. “Indeed, we found the use of a professional survey to be important, even necessary, given that most respondents did not disclose their observations [same-sex sexual behavior] in their study species. Expert surveys provide us with a tool to access and investigate this behavior on a larger scale.”
Only through anecdotal reports and expert surveys do we see how widespread same-sex sexual behavior is. Although this study drew on a relatively small sample 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 supposedly rare behaviors.
The article is published in PLOS ONE.
Read an excerpt from A Little Gay Natural History and our exclusive interview with Josh Davis July 2024 issue of CURIOUS.