Koalas

[patgund]

Australia rocked by 'lesbian' koala revelation

"Female koalas indulge in lesbian "sex sessions", rejecting male suitors and attempting to mate with each other, sometimes up to five at a time, according to researchers.

The furry, eucalyptus-eating creatures appear to develop this tendency for same-sex liaisons when they are in captivity. In the wild, they remain heterosexual.

Scientists monitoring the marsupials with digital cameras counted three homosexual interactions for every heterosexual one.

"Some females rejected the advances of males that were in their enclosures, only to become willing participants in homosexual encounters immediately after," say the researchers.

"On several occasions more than one pair of females shared the same pole, and multiple females mounted each other simultaneously. At least one multiple encounter involved five female koalas."

Comments

[dragonessfaire.livejournal.com]

There was a similar article in the Rocky Mountain News last week about Big Horn Sheep- Males though.

[omcintyre.livejournal.com]

Many zoo animal behaviorists have found similar things in many primate species, as well as some tortoises. It's been suggested in various species of animals (mammals and others) and it's common for female amphibians to actually change their sex when there are no males available.

Nature is an amazing Creatrix, and I personally believe that homosxuality and bisexuality is her way of slowing population growth down when there isn't the available resources for more of a species.

And why shouldn't animals have a little pleasure in their lives? Scientists have always said that human females are the only animals that have a clitoris, but you never know. Maybe no one has looked around long enough on those furry bodies for their species specific love button :)

[patgund.livejournal.com]

Which makes a lot of sense. Bonobos are pretty randy about either gender, and anyone who's worked with horses have seen stallions mount other stallions and mares mount mares.

What strikes me as interesting is that this seems to be a zoo behaviour though. Though I suspect it's actually fairly common in the wild too, but it's harder to gender-identify there.

As for the love button on a koala (evil grin)......

http://www.somethingpositive.net/swst2002-09.shtml