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Wednesday 19 March 2014

Photo Of The Day: Animal Sexual Behaviour


When animal sexual behaviour is reproductively-driven, it is often termed mating or copulation; for most non-human mammals, mating and copulation occur at the point of estrus (the most fertile period of time in the female's reproductive cycle), which increases the chances of successful impregnation.[1][2] However, the study of animal sexuality (especially that of primates) is a rapidly developing field. While it used to be believed that only humans and a handful of other species performed sexual acts other than for reproduction, and that animals' sexuality was instinctive and a simple response to the "right" stimulation (sight, scent), current understanding is that many species that were formerly believed to be monogamous are promiscuous or opportunistic in nature; a range of species appear both tomasturbate and to use objects as tools to help them do so; in many species, animals try to give and get sexual stimulation with others where sexual reproduction is not the focus, and homosexual behaviour has been observed among 1,500 species, with 500 of those being well-documented.[3]

Some animal sexual behaviour involves competition, sometimes fighting, between multiple males. In these circumstances, females often select males for mating only if they appear strong and able to protect themselves. The male that wins a fight may also have the chance to mate with a larger number of females and will therefore pass on his genes to those offspring.[4]
Credit: Wikipedia

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