BIOLOGICAL EXUBERANCE

[John Galaor]

BIOLOGICAL EXUBERANCE

 

By Bruce Bagemihl

 

 

 

 

Some comments on this book. I bought it some years ago in Amazone books

 

It is a fabulous books and deserves to be recommended to people interested in homosexual behavior of many animals. If someone is interested, he can ask me to post some fragments of the book on other animals.

 

 

 

 

I choose this page at random yesterday. Then I said, I will post a little on the lodge.

 

 

 

 

On page 405

 

WILD SHEEP, GOATS AND BUFFALO

 

BIGHORN SHEEP Ovis canadensis

 

THINHORN and DALL’S AHEEP Ovis dalli

 

ASIATIC MOUFLON or URIAL Ovis orientalis

 

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On page-406-407

 

Description

 

Behavioral Expression

 

In bighorn and thinhorn sheep, males live in what one zoologist called “homosexual societies” in which same-sex courtship and sexual activity occurs routinely among all rams. Typically an older high-ranking male would court a male younger than him, using a sequence of stylized movements. Same sex courtships is often initiated when a male approaches other in the in the LOW STRETCHED posture, in which the head and neck are is lowered and extended far forward. This might be combined with a TWIST where the male sharply rotates his head and points his muzzle towards the other male, often while flicking his tongue and making growling or grumbling sounds.

 

The courting ram often performs a FORELEG KICK, stiffly snapping his front leg up against the other male’s belly or between his hind legs. He also occasionally sniffs and nuzzles the other male’s genital area and make perform LIP CURLING or FLEHMEN, in which he samples the other male’s urine by retracting his upper lip to expose a special olfactory organ. Thinhorn rams may even lick the penis of the male they are courting.

 

The being courted sometimes rubs his forehead and cheeks -even licking and nibbling him- and may also rub his horns on the other male’s neck, chest or shoulders, occasionally developing an erection. Similar courtship behaviors occur among male Asiatic Mouflons.

 

In addiction to genital licking (in Thinhorns), sexual activity between rams usually involves mounting and anal intercourse; typically the larger male rears up on his hind legs and mounts the smaller male, placing his front legs on the other flanks. The mountee assumes the characteristic posture known as LORDOSIS, in which he arches his back to facilitate copulation (this posture is also seen in many females mammals during heterosexual mating). Usually the mounting male has an erect penis and achieves full anal penetration, performing thrusts that probably lead to ejaculation in many cases.

 

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My comment:

 

It continues the story describing more variations on this courtship and mounting, sometimes in groups, several males corralling making a circle around a younger male to mount it in turns, etc. Sometimes they go after him if try to flee, chasing him to continue and so..

 

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Then there is a part which is called

 

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Frequency. In Bighorns and Thinhorns, homosexual mounting occurs commonly throughout the year, but is specially frequent during the rut when heterosexual activity si also taking place, accounting for about a quarter of all sexual activity at that time (and ocurring in up to 69 percent of males’ interactions. With each other). Outside the rut, all mounting activity is homosexual, but mounting accounts only accounts for 2-3 percent of males interactions with each other. At least 70 percent of males interactions with each other involve courtship behaviors. Homosexual activity appears to be less frequent in Asiatic mouflons: Behavioral transvestism occurs in approximately 5 percent of the rams in some populations of Bighorn sheep.

 

 

[West Coast Dude]

Do you know if there are any homosexual birds?

[John Galaor]

Do you know if there are any homosexual birds?

 

Some litttle fragments

Looking at the index, I see birds, waterfowl and others from page 485 to 653. I do not know about small birds.

Page 479 presents waterfowl and other aquatic birds.

 

pag. 481 says, Frequency: Homosexual couples constitute a significant proportion of pairs in Greylag Geese: an average of 14% of pairs in some populations are some sex, and in some years this proportion can even be higher, with more of 20% of all pair-bonds consisting of ganders.

Page 483 presents Canada goose and snow goose. Pag 483 Frequency: In canada Geese, up to 12% of pairs in some semi-wild populations are homosexual. The proportion is smaller in Snow Geese; about 1 in 200 nests belong to a pair of females. Approximately 4 % of all mountings during Snow Goose rape attempts are between males.

pag. 487 Black Swan and Mute Swan

pag 489 Freq: Overall male couples constitute 5-6% of all pairings in Black Swans: in a given year, an average of 13% of male birds are homosexual pairs, and sometimes this proportion is as high as 20-25% of all successful families. Same sex bonds probably occur only sporadically in Mute Swans.

 

Pag 491 on Mallard Duck . p.493 Freq. homosexual copulations and parings between female Mallard Ducks occur sporadically and are most common during the fall. In one study, roughly a quarter of the days in which sexual activity was observed included same sex mountings. The proportion of homosexual pairs varies between populations, anywhere from 2-19 percent of all pairs.

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And so on. I would put some samples on smaller birds.

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page 552 Silver Gull p. 553 Freq. About 6% of all pair bonds in Silver Gulls are homosexual, while nesting attempts by female pairs occurs approximately 12 % of all breeding seasons. in some population of Herring Gulls, nearly 3% of all pairs are homosexual, while other populations they are much less frequent, about 1 in every 360 pairs. Male homosexual mountings account for 10% of non monogamous copulations in Silver Gulls, and 2% of the total number of copulations; they are probably much less common in Herring Gulls.

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Page 587 Hooded Warbler. pag. 589 Freq: The overall incidence of homosexual pairs in Hood Warblers is not known, since not widespread, systematically study had yet been conducted to determine the prevalence. However, in one population observed over three years, 4% of pair bonds (3 of 80) were between males. Although over sexual behavior had not been observed between such pair mates, heterosexual copulations are rarely seen in this species either; it is possible that, therefore, that homosexual copulations take place. Among females, plumage transvestism is a regular occurrence, as about 59 percent of females have some degree of malelike black feathers on their head: 40% has only a slight amount, 17% an intermediate amount, and 2% have a nearly complete black hood.

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Well, I am tired of putting samples.

there are also Sparrows, black birds and crows on page 598 and others.

by example, pag. 600. Freq. In Sociable Weavers studied in captivity, as much as three quarters of all mounting activity is between males., and 3 out of five full copulations are homosexual. The occurrence of same sex mounting in wild birds of this species are not known, but the prevalence is probable comparable (specially since heterosexual activity is also apparently infrequent). In one study of wild Gray-capped Social Weavers, all sexual activity observed took place between males. In Red Bishops, aprox 6% of courtship bumble-flights are directed by and adult male toward another adult male; courtship of younger males probably occurs more often than this.

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Well, I am tired of copying.

[West Coast Dude]

Thanks for taking the time to copy that all out. I was scarred for life last night after looking up bird genetalia (not your fault). I have never seen any of those birds except Mallards, very interesting about the Mallards.

[K.C.]

Very Interesting!

[Cyhort]

That's actually really interesting......except now I have images in my head that I can't get rid of

[John Galaor]

Do you know if there are any homosexual birds?

 

More about birds. Little birds this time. Page 602,

HOUSE SPARROW, Passer domesticus

BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, Molothrus ater

WATTLED STARLING, Creatophora cinerea

 

Social organization.

I do not copy this part.

 

Description

Behavioral expression. Male Brown-headed Cowbirds sometimes solicit homosexuals copulations from male House Sparrows. Cowbirds commonly invite birds of other species to preen them, but occasionally a interspecies encounter includes homosexual mounting when House Sparrow is involved. This extraordinary behavior typically begins with a male Crowbird adopting a characteristic HEAD-DOWN posture next to a Sparrow in which he bows his head, touching his lower bill to his breast feathers while crouching slightly and raising his wings a bit at his shoulders. The house sparrow then mounts the cowbird, grasping his head feathers in his beak while attempting to copulate. If he shows signs of leaving or lack of interest after a single mounting, the cowbird would will immediately resume the invitation posture to him, insistently nudging the sparrow with his head and persistently following him until he mounts again. This make continue for an extended time, with repeated homosexual mountings (five or more) occurring in a single session.

Homosexual courtship occasionally occur in Wattled Starling. Males sometimes select another male as an object of their attention, displaying to him with a number of stylized postures. Among this are the LATERAL DISPLAY, in which the male turns sideways and lets his wings hang down at his side (exposing his white feathers) [My comment: that reminds me of the sagging, some male boys showing their underwear]

In the FRONTAL DISPLAY the courting male fluff up his belly and back feathers, raising and quivering his wings while spreading his tail; In the distinctive VULTURE POSTURE, in which he stretches his entire body vertically while puffing out his breast feathers and he tightly folds his wings against his sides like a vulture. A form of plumage transvestism also occurs in this species, in which some females develop a male appearance. Most males have a special seasonal nuptial plumage, growing two pendulous wattles from either side of their beaks and losing most of their feathers from their head, thereby exposing the yellow or black skin and two fleshy comb-like growths on the forehead. The feather loss has been described as a form or "male pattern baldness" akin to the type of hair loss found in humans, and indeed is regulated by male hormones (as in human baldness). While the majority of females never exhibit these plumage characteristics, a few females do acquire a male appearance with feather loss, wattle and combs.

 

Frequency: Brown-headed Cowbirds regularly perform the head-down display toward other species in the wild, and approximately 36 % of such display are directed by male cowbirds toward male House Sparrows; however Sparrows respond with homosexual mounting probably only sporadically. Similarly, homosexual courtship is in all likelihood only

occasional occurrence in Wattled Starlings. About 2-10% of female Wattled Starlings are transgendered, exhibiting fairly complete battles and/or baldness. Other females appear to fall along a continuum of plumage characteristics, with some individuals showing only partial wattle development or incomplete baldness.

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Other Species

Male Sharp-tailed Sparrows (Ammodramus caudatus), a North American species, sometimes mounts other males. Adolescent male Yellow-rumped Caciques (Cacicus cela), a South American black bird, frequently mount fledglings of both sexes. Sexual behavior towards these younger birds is usually part of an overall pattern of harassment, in which adolescent males (often in groups) chase, peck, attack, and sometimes even knock fledglings from their perches (often resulting in death by drowning if they fall into water). About 36% of such harassments (and the associated sexual behavior) involve same-sex interactions.

 

[My comment: this part also makes me recall the attitude of bullies in a high school, while harassing timid or gay boys]

[NightOwl88]

That's actually really interesting......except now I have images in my head that I can't get rid of

 

 

Yea, agreed, the sheep thing left me with images I'd rather not have either. It is interesting though, a book I need to look up. The concept of homosexual relationships in the animal kingdom is something that has interested me off and on over the years.

[Raijen]

Ah, one of several reasons why Biology is the best subject in which to major! lol

 

What I find so interesting is that it's taken so long for humans to realize that sex, while leading to procreation at times, is not solely about procreation. Among Bonobos it's a social relating thing, and among humans sex has become a way for pairbonding to occur. The oxytocin and endorphins released during sex help form the sense of emotional connection between two humans, thus allowing for civilization to begin, in a way.

 

Of course, the beautiful thing about science is that we may be looking at things the wrong way. Perhaps there isn't a such thing as "orientation" as we know it. Maybe there is something else that drives people to seek relationships with certain people. All I know, though, is that we put apples with apples and oranges with oranges, so same sex coupling should be the norm (huzzah for illogick! )

 

This information, though, was very eye opening. I didn't realize there was that much recorded data regarding homosexual courtship in animals. kudos!

[John Galaor]

Ah, one of several reasons why Biology is the best subject in which to major! lol

 

What I find so interesting is that it's taken so long for humans to realize that sex, while leading to procreation at times, is not solely about procreation. Among Bonobos it's a social relating thing, and among humans sex has become a way for pairbonding to occur. The oxytocin and endorphins released during sex help form the sense of emotional connection between two humans, thus allowing for civilization to begin, in a way.

 

Of course, the beautiful thing about science is that we may be looking at things the wrong way. Perhaps there isn't a such thing as "orientation" as we know it. Maybe there is something else that drives people to seek relationships with certain people. All I know, though, is that we put apples with apples and oranges with oranges, so same sex coupling should be the norm (huzzah for illogick! )

 

This information, though, was very eye opening. I didn't realize there was that much recorded data regarding homosexual courtship in animals. kudos!

 

In the armies of some Ancient People was rather frequent the homosexual relations. It helped to the relax the warriors in times of rest. It also reinforced bonds between pairs of warriors of different age. Life in times of frequent wars was short. Those warriors were put aside from the breeding program. It would be too costly to maintain an army with married soldiers, with wives and children. So, most of the warriors in Ancient Greece were single, and could mostly not marry because they do not inherited the land or properties of their fathers. The inheritance was for the first born son.

Then, due to the problems of overpopulation the women had not any sexual freedom.

This phenomenon of homosexuality happens often in monasteries, boarding schools, armies, navies, etc. It was mostly a hidden affair not only because the Jewish heritage of Christianity in regard to homosexuality, but also, because in a warrior culture, virility was a virtue. Then, to play the subordinate role of being an insertee was considered demeaning. For it put the male in the same rank as the female, that has had a much lower social status.

Then, in some armies, like the samurais, it was deemed immodest to speak openly about the facts of love. Existed some couples that made oaths of friendship or fraternity for life. The lovers were called, older brother and the younger one. But it was not allowed to speak of the essence of love. It was assumed that everybody knew what love was about, what implicated to have a lover, but the norms of decency obliged to maintain the essence of love a secret. Nevertheless it was permitted to manifest some discreet signs of affection among lovers. The warriors in Ancient Greece, were paired in couples for the battle and most times they died together.

In general, the older warrior was the teacher of the younger one. The younger one kept an eye to the rearguard of his older lover and around, on his flanks. There were many famous couples in the Ancient Stories. The most famous couple is Achilles and Patroclus in the Iliad. By the drawings in the Greek ceramics we know that Patroclus was the "erastés", the older lover, for it was painted with large beard. While Achilles, that was the "erómeno" for he was painted younger without a beard, as can be seen in the Sosias Cup in Berlin, where Achilles in bandaging Patroclus. The erastés is the one who feels the "eros", while the "erómenos" provokes the "eros" with his beauty. Eros means "desire"; that's all. While "philia" means friendship and love, and can be applied to more relations like love among brothers, father-son, or simply love among friends or companions in the army, etc. But philia also meant "eros". The word is related to philein (to love, to kiss). Then, the philia was the word used for those that live in couples. For in a way, the philia was like eros in action, the accomplishing the dreams of desire.

 

In Sparta young couples performed oaths of philia in the altar of Hyacinthus in Amyclae, a few miles from Sparta, that was near the most famous temple of Apollo. For there is a complex story between Hyacinthus and Apollo that was in celebrated each year with paean. All the military was stopped to celebrate the Hyacinthia, a paian feast in honor of Hyacinth.

The myth says that Apollo and Zephyr (the god of western wind) loved young Hyacinthus. Then Apollo was playing with the boy and threw his disc up to the air, that went too far high in the sky, then as it returned the jealous god Zephyr, blew up and changed the course of the disc in such a way that killed young Hyacinthus.

So, in the feast there was a ceremony in two parts. The first was to mourn the death of Hyacinthus and later ended with a reveling celebrating his resurrection, for Apollo resurrected the loving boy, for Apollo was also healer god and had powers to resurrect the dead.

 

Among the samurai existed also couples of lovers. They had made an oath of brotherhood that lasted the whole life. In general, the members of the couple were called older brother and younger brother. For in those ancient cultures, either the Greek or the Japanese, the sexual role was determined by the age. The older member was considered the insertor, while the younger one was the insertee. The social protocols determined that only the older man could do some advances, or some courting to the younger male.

The younger male had to show due modesty and demureness, and resist for a long time the courtship, feigning to be ashamed or blushing, with so many loving attentions. On the contrary, that a young male would propose or court an older male was considered an social infraction compared to whoring. It was a capital sin, something like trashy and of bad taste. The same idea happened in China, were the tradition was also established by age. The older lover was the top, and the younger one was like the virginal lady.

Then, in all cases, either in Japan, China or Ancient Greece, the loving couples were quite respectable, because with the least provocation over the dignity of one them, there was more than enough reason to start a mortal fight. In general, in the case of China, the stories are more related to aristocrats, or the emperor.

It does not disprove that there was also some homosexuality in the lower ranks of society. This is universal, and the hornier older boys were courting also the younger male aiming to perform a copulation or other services.

In the Kabuki theater, it became notorious the quarrelsome nature of the samurais that could engage in a mortal combat with swords for the right of being the first to use the services of the young-man that played the role of heroine.

The Kabuki originally was played by women, and to avoid the mortal duels that occurred with samurais that wanted to be the first to get the first actress, the Shogun forbade women to act in theaters.

Then, as a young man was playing the role of first girl, the fights were then for the right to get the young actor the first.

Most actors in the Japanese theater had to supplement their earnings by whoring their asses. On occasions, the prices paid for the sexual services of the cute young actors were very high, and a few of them become rich.

The monetary success of the young actor was also good for all, as a part of the revenues were used to pay the expanses of the company.

That said, the story proves that homosexuality is a complex phenomenon on many accounts.