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5h ago

Study Finds Same-Sex Sexual Behavior in 59 Primate Species With Evolutionary Roots

The authors caution against drawing conclusions about modern human sexual orientation.

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Species in which males are much bigger than females - such as mountain gorillas - are more likely to engage in same-sex sexual behaviour
Japanese macaques at Joshin-etsu National Park in Japan.
Rhesus macaques are one of many primates species that commonly engage in homosexual behaviour

Overview

  • Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, the synthesis reviews data from 491 nonhuman primate species and reports documented same-sex sexual behavior in 59, with repeated occurrences in 23.
  • The analysis identifies higher occurrence in species facing harsh environments, elevated predation risk, or complex social hierarchies with intense competition.
  • Researchers interpret the patterns as evidence that these acts can serve social functions such as managing tension, reinforcing bonds, and building alliances.
  • The study coded only explicit sexual acts, including mounting, genital contact, and fellatio, and excluded nonsexual same-sex interactions to reduce ambiguity.
  • Prior work by the team on rhesus macaques found male-male mounting can bolster alliances and estimated more than six percent heritability for same-sex behavior, while experts note significant data gaps and warn against misuse of the findings.