For these animals, there is documented evidence of
homosexual
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
behavior of one or more of the following kinds:
sex
Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...
,
courtship
Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private ...
,
affection
Affection or fondness is a " disposition or state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning emotion, disease, influence, and s ...
,
pair bond
In biology, a pair bond is the strong affinity that develops in some species between a mating pair, often leading to the production and rearing of offspring and potentially a lifelong bond. Pair-bonding is a term coined in the 1940s that is freque ...
ing, or
parenting
Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a b ...
, as noted in researcher and author
Bruce Bagemihl Bruce Bagemihl is a Canadian biologist, linguist, and author of the book ''Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity''.
Life and career
He completed his BA at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1981, and served on ...
's 1999 book ''Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity''.
Bagemihl writes that the presence of
same-sex sexual behavior was not "officially" observed on a large scale until the 1990s due to
observer bias Observer bias is one of the types of detection bias and is defined as any kind of systematic divergence from accurate facts during observation and the recording of data and information in studies. The definition can be further expanded upon to inclu ...
caused by social attitudes towards nonheterosexual people, making the homosexual theme
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannic ...
.
[Bagemihl (1999)][News-medical.net (2006)] Bagemihl devotes three chapters, "Two Hundred Years at Looking at Homosexual Wildlife", "Explaining (Away) Animal Homosexuality" and "Not For Breeding Only" in his 1999 book ''Biological Exuberance'' to the "documentation of systematic
prejudice
Prejudice can be an affect (psychology), affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classification (disambiguation), classi ...
s" where he notes "the ''present ignorance'' of
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...
lies precisely in its single-minded attempt to find reproductive (or other) 'explanations' for homosexuality, transgender, and
non-procreative and alternative
heterosexual
Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" t ...
ities."
[Bagemihl (1999) page 213] Petter Bøckman, academic adviser for the ''
Against Nature? Against Nature? was an exhibition on homosexuality in animals made by the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo, Norway. The exhibition focused on the occurrence and function of homosexuality in animals. It ran from September 2006 to Aug ...
'' exhibit, stated "
ny researchers have described homosexuality as something altogether different from sex. They must realize that animals can have sex with who they will, when they will and without consideration to a researcher's
ethical
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of morality, right and wrong action (philosophy), behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, alo ...
principles." Homosexual behavior is found amongst social
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s and
mammals, particularly the sea mammals and the
primates
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...
.
Sexual behavior takes many different forms, even within the same
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
and the motivations for and implications of their behaviors have yet to be fully understood. Bagemihl's research shows that homosexual behavior, not necessarily sex, has been documented in about five hundred species as of 1999, ranging from
primates
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...
to
gut worms.
[Harrold (1999)] Homosexuality in animals is seen as controversial by
social conservatives because it asserts the naturalness of
homosexuality in humans, while others counter that it has no implications and is nonsensical to equate natural animal behaviors to
morality
Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...
.
[Solimeo (2004)][Solimeo (2004b)] Sexual preference and motivation is always inferred from behavior. Thus homosexual behavior has been given a number of terms over the years. The correct usage of the term ''homosexual'' is that an animal ''exhibits homosexual behavior'', however this article conforms to the usage by modern research, applying the term ''homosexuality'' to all sexual behavior (
copulation
Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
,
genital stimulation
Sexual stimulation is any stimulus (including bodily contact) that leads to, enhances and maintains sexual arousal, and may lead to orgasm. Although sexual arousal may arise without physical stimulation, achieving orgasm usually requires physi ...
,
mating games and sexual
display behavior
Display behaviour is a set of ritualized behaviours that enable an animal to animal communication, communicate to other animals (typically of the same species) about specific stimuli. These ritualized behaviours can be visual however many animal ...
) between animals of the same sex.
__TOC__
Mammals
;Selected mammals from the full list
*
Baboon
Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon, the Kinda baboon and the chac ...
*
Bison
Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 405]
*
Bonobo
The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the co ...
*
Brown bear
The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 441]
*
Brown Rat
The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat and Parisian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown or ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 469]
*
Cavy
Caviidae, the cavy family, is composed of rodents native to South America and includes the domestic guinea pig, wild cavies, and the largest living rodent, the capybara. They are found across South America in open areas from moist savanna to tho ...
*
Caribou[Bagemihl (1999) pages 388,389]
*
Cat (domestic)[Bagemihl 1999) pages 81, 88]
*
Cattle (domestic)[Bagemihl (1999) pages 81, 82, 89]
*
Chimpanzee[de Waal (2001)][Bagemihl (1999) pages 276–279]
*
Common dolphin
The common dolphin (''Delphinus delphis'') is the most abundant cetacean in the world, with a global population of about six million. Despite this fact and its vernacular name, the common dolphin is not thought of as the archetypal dolphin, wit ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 339]
*
Common marmoset
The common marmoset (''Callithrix jacchus'') also called white-tufted marmoset or white-tufted-ear marmoset is a New World monkey. It originally lived on the northeastern coast of Brazil, in the states of Piaui, Paraiba, Ceará, Rio Grande do ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 334]
*
Dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relativ ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 310, 314]
*
Dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...
*
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 427]
*
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 218, 231, 317]
*
Giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, '' Giraffa cameloparda ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 391]
*
Goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of ...
*
Horse (domestic)[Bagemihl (1999) pages 81, 165, 205, 226, 231]
*
Human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 432][Wellings, K., Field, J., Johnson, A., & Wadsworth, J. (1994). ''Sexual behavior in Britain: The national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles.'' London, UK: Penguin Books.]
*
Koala
The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 455-457]
*
Lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
*
Orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...
*
Panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes use ...
Birds
;Selected birds from the full list:
*
Barn owl
The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himala ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 632-5]
*
Cassowary
Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones) and are native to the tropical ...
*
Chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...
*
Common gull
The common gull or sea mew (''Larus canus'') is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic, northern Europe. The closely related short-billed gull is sometimes included in this species, which may be known collectively as "mew gull". Many ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 544-8]
*
Emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 621-6]
*
House sparrow
The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, an ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 602-5]
*
Kestrel
The term kestrel (from french: crécerelle, derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour ...
*
King penguin
The king penguin (''Aptenodytes patagonicus'') is the second largest species of penguin, smaller, but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin. There are two subspecies: ''A. p. patagonicus'' and ''A. p. halli''; ''patagonicus'' i ...
[365 Gay.com (2005)]
*
Mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 491-5]
*
Ostrich
Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There a ...
*
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 606-10]
*
Rock dove
The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon ( also ; ''Columba livia'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon".
The domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domes ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 639]
Fish
*
Amazon molly[Bagemihl (1999), page 37]
*
Anglerfish
The anglerfish are fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes (). They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure for other fish. The luminescence ...
*
Blackstripe topminnow
The blackstripe topminnow, ''Fundulus notatus'', is a small freshwater fish in the family Fundulidae, found in central North America.
Distribution
The blackstripe topminnow is found in Canada along a roughly 60 kilometre stretch of Ontario's Sy ...
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 658, 664]
*
Bluegill sunfish
*
Char
*
Grayling
*
European bitterling
The European bitterling (''Rhodeus amarus'') is a temperate freshwater fish belonging to the subfamily Acheilognathinae of the family Cyprinidae. It originates in Europe, ranging from the Rhone River basin in France to the Neva River in Russia. ...
[Bagemihl (1999), page 658]
*
Green swordtail
The green swordtail (''Xiphophorus hellerii'') is a species of freshwater/brackish fish in family (biology), family Poeciliidae of order (biology), order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearing aquarium fish, live-bearer, it is closely related to the s ...
*
Guiana leaffish[Bagemihl (1999), page 664]
*
Houting whitefish
*
Jewel cichlid
''Hemichromis'' is a genus of fishes from the cichlid family, known in the aquarium trade as jewel cichlids. Jewel cichlids are native to Africa. Within West Africa, ''Hemichromis'' species are found in creeks, streams, rivers and lakes with a ...
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 658, 665]
*
Least darter (''
Microperca punctulata'')
*
Mouthbreeding fish sp.
*
Salmon
Salmon () is the common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...
spp.
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 232, 233, 244]
*
Southern platyfish
The southern platyfish, common platy, or moonfish (''Xiphophorus maculatus'') is a species of freshwater fish in family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the green swordtail (''X. hellerii'') and ...
*
Ten-spined stickleback
The ninespine stickleback (''Pungitius pungitius''), also called the ten-spined stickleback, is a freshwater species of fish in the family Gasterosteidae that inhabits temperate waters. It is widely but locally distributed throughout Eurasia and ...
*
Three-spined stickleback
The three-spined stickleback (''Gasterosteus aculeatus'') is a fish native to most inland and coastal waters north of 30°N. It has long been a subject of scientific study for many reasons. It shows great morphological variation throughout its ra ...
Reptiles
The all-female
Whiptail lizard
Teiidae is a family of autarchoglossan lizards native to the Americas. Members of this family are generally known as whiptails or racerunners; however, tegus also belong to this family. Teiidae is sister to the Gymnopthalmidae, and both famili ...
species ''
Aspidoscelis neomexicanus
The New Mexico whiptail (''Aspidoscelis neomexicanus'') is a female-only species of lizard found in the southwestern United States in New Mexico and Arizona, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua. It is the official state reptile of New Mexico. It ...
'' (center), which reproduces via
parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...
, is shown flanked by two sexual species having males, ''
A. inornatus'' (left) and ''
A. tigris'' (right). Research has shown that simulated mating behavior increases fertility for ''Aspidoscelis neomexicanus''. One female lies on top of another, playing the role of the male, the lizard that was on bottom has larger eggs, in most cases. The lizards switch off this role each mating season.
*
Anole
Dactyloidae are a family of lizards commonly known as anoles () and native to warmer parts of the Americas, ranging from southeastern United States to Paraguay. Instead of treating it as a family, some authorities prefer to treat it as a subfami ...
sp.
[Bagemihl (1999), page 657]
*
Bearded dragon
''Pogona'' is a genus of reptiles containing six lizard species which are often known by the common name bearded dragons. The name "bearded dragon" refers to the underside of the throat (or "beard") of the lizard, which can turn black and gain we ...
*
Blue-tailed day gecko
The blue-tailed day gecko (''Phelsuma cepediana'') is a diurnal species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the island Mauritius. It typically inhabits warm and humid places and dwells on different trees and ...
(''Phelsuma cepediana'')
[Budzinski, R.-M. (1997) Homosexuelles Verhalten bei Geckos der Gattung Phelsuma. Sauria 19 (3): 33-34]
*
Broad-headed skink
The broad-headed skink or broadhead skink (''Plestiodon laticeps'') is species of lizard, endemic to the southeastern United States. The broadhead skink occurs in sympatry with the five-lined skink (''Plestiodon fasciatus'') and Southeastern f ...
*
Checkered whiptail lizard[Bagemihl (1999), page 657, 658]
*
Chihuahuan spotted whiptail lizard
*
Common ameiva
*
Common garter snake
The common garter snake (''Thamnophis sirtalis'') is a species of thamnophis snake, in the natricine subfamily, which is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stri ...
*
Cuban green anole
*
Desert grassland whiptail lizard
*
Desert tortoise
The desert tortoise (''Gopherus agassizii''), is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and to the Sinaloan thornscr ...
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 232, 664]
*Fence lizard
*
Five-lined skink
*
Gold dust day gecko
The gold dust day gecko (''Phelsuma laticauda'') is a diurnal species of gecko. It lives in northern Madagascar, Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam) and on the island of Comoros; it has also been introduced to Hawaii and other Pacific islands. It's typi ...
(''Phelsuma laticauda'')
*
Gopher (pine) snake
*
Green anole
''Anolis carolinensis'' or green anole () (among other names below) is a tree-dwelling species of anole lizard native to the southeastern United States and introduced to islands in the Pacific and Caribbean. A small to medium-sized lizard, t ...
*
Inagua curlytail lizard
*
Jamaican giant anole
''Anolis garmani'', the Jamaican giant anole, also known as the Jamaican anole or Jamaica giant anole, is a species of anole, a lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to Jamaica, but has been introduced to Florida.
Etymolog ...
*
Laredo striped whiptail lizard
*
Largehead anole
*
Mourning gecko
''Lepidodactylus lugubris'', known as the mourning gecko or common smooth-scaled gecko, is a species of lizard, a gecko of the family Gekkonidae.
Description
''Lepidodactylus lugubris'' measure 8.5-10 cm in length including tail (4-4.4 cm snou ...
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 663–664]
*
Plateau striped whiptail lizard
*
Red diamond rattlesnake
:''Common names: red diamond rattlesnake, red rattlesnake, red diamond snake,Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . more''
''Crotalus ruber'' is a venomous pit viper spec ...
*
Red-tailed skink
*
Seychelles giant tortoise
The Seychelles giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa''), also known as the Seychelles domed giant tortoise, is a tortoise subspecies in the genus '' Aldabrachelys''.
It inhabited the large central granitic Seychelles islands, but ...
*
Side-blotched lizard
Side-blotched lizards are lizards of the genus ''Uta''. They are some of the most abundant and commonly observed lizards in the deserts of western North America, known for cycling between three colorized breeding patternsSinervo, B.; C.M. Lively ...
*
Speckled rattlesnake
*
Water moccasin
''Agkistrodon piscivorus'' is a species of pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. It is one of the world's few semiaquatic vipers (along with the Florida cottonmouth), and is native to the southeastern United States. A ...
*
Western rattlesnake Western rattlesnake may refer to:
* '' Crotalus oreganus'', a venomous pitviper species found in North America in the western United States, parts of British Columbia and northwestern Mexico
* '' Crotalus viridis'', a.k.a. the prairie rattlesnake, ...
(''Crotalus viridis'')
*
Western banded gecko
The western banded gecko (''Coleonyx variegatus'') is a species of lizard in the family Eublepharidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northwestern Mexico. Five subspecies are recognized.
Geographic rang ...
*
Whiptail lizard
Teiidae is a family of autarchoglossan lizards native to the Americas. Members of this family are generally known as whiptails or racerunners; however, tegus also belong to this family. Teiidae is sister to the Gymnopthalmidae, and both famili ...
spp.
*
Wood turtle
The wood turtle (''Glyptemys insculpta'') is a species of turtle endemic to North America. It is in the genus '' Glyptemys'', a genus which contains only one other species of turtle: the bog turtle (''Glyptemys muhlenbergii'' ). The wood turtle ...
*
Blue-tongued skink
Blue-tongued skinks comprise the Australasian genus ''Tiliqua'', which contains some of the largest members of the skink family (Scincidae). They are commonly called blue-tongued lizards or simply blue-tongues or blueys in Australia. As suggest ...
Amphibians
*Appalachian woodland salamander
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 657, 658]
*Black-spotted frog
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 243, 664]
*Mountain dusky salamander
*Tengger desert toad
Insects
Male
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
has been inferred in several species of
dragonflies
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threaten ...
. A survey of damsel and dragonflies reveals characteristic
cloacal
In animal anatomy, a cloaca ( ), plural cloacae ( or ), is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles and birds, ...
pincher mating damage in 20–80 percent of the males, indicating a fairly high occurrence of sexual coupling between males.

*Alfalfa
weevil
Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several families, ...
[Bagemihl (1999), page 666]
*Australian parasitic
wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
sp.
*
Bean weevil
The bean weevils or seed beetles are a subfamily (Bruchinae) of beetles, now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. They are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds ...
sp.
*
Bedbug and other bug spp.
[Tatarnic1 et al., 22 March 2006][Bagemihl (1999) page 660]
*
Blister beetle
Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their ...
spp.
[Bagemihl (1999) page 667]
*
Blowfly
Blowfly or blow fly may refer to:
* Calliphoridae, a family of flies
* Blowfly (musician)
Clarence Henry Reid (February 14, 1939 – January 17, 2016) was an American musician, songwriter and producer also known by the stage name and altern ...
*Broadwinged
damselfly
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings alo ...
sp.
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 704, 713]
*
Cabbage (small) white (butterfly)
*
Checkerspot butterfly[Bagemihl (1999) pages 150, 232, 236, 246]
*
Club-tailed dragonfly spp.
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 33–34, 196, 217, 219, 232]
*
Cockroach
Cockroaches (or roaches) are a Paraphyly, paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are we ...
spp.
[Bagemihl (1999) page 668]
*
Codling moth
The codling moth (''Cydia pomonella'') is a member of the Lepidopteran family Tortricidae. They are major pests to agricultural crops, mainly fruits such as apples and pears. Because the larvae are not able to feed on leaves, they are highly ...
*Common skimmer
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
spp.
*
Creeping water bug
Naucoridae is a small family of insects commonly known as the creeping water bugs and saucer bugs. They are similar in appearance and behavior to Belostomatidae (giant water bugs), but considerably smaller, at long. Naucoridae are found around t ...
sp.
[Bagemihl (1999) page 666]
*
Cutworm
Cutworms are moth larvae that hide under litter or soil during the day, coming out in the dark to feed on plants. A larva typically attacks the first part of the plant it encounters, namely the stem, often of a seedling, and consequently cuts it ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 595]
*
Digger bee[Bagemihl (1999) pages 9, 649, 665]
*
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
spp.
*
Eastern giant ichneumon wasp
*
Eucalyptus longhorned borer
*
Field cricket sp.
[Bagemihl (1999) page 658]
*
Flour beetle
Flour beetles are members of the darkling beetle genus, genera ''Tribolium (beetle), Tribolium'' or ''Tenebrio''. They are pests of cereal silos and are widely used as laboratory animals, as they are easy to keep. The flour beetles consume wheat ...
*
Fruit fly
Fruit fly may refer to:
Organisms
* Drosophilidae, a family of small flies, including:
** ''Drosophila'', the genus of small fruit flies and vinegar flies
** ''Drosophila melanogaster'' or common fruit fly
** '' Drosophila suzukii'' or Asian fruit ...
spp.
[Bagemihl (1999) page 3]
*
Glasswing butterfly
''Greta oto'' is a species of brush-footed butterfly and member of the subfamily Danainae, tribe Ithomiini, and subtribe Godyridina. It is known by the common name glasswing butterfly for its transparent wings, which allow it to camouflage wit ...
*''
Hypoponera opacior
''Hypoponera opacior'', the ponerine ant, is a species of ant in the family Formicidae.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Ponerinae
Articles created by Qbugbot
Insects described in 1893
{{ant-stub ...
'' ant
*
Grape borer
*
Green lacewing
Green lacewings are insects in the large family (biology), family Chrysopidae of the order (biology), order Neuroptera. There are about 85 genera and (differing between sources) 1,300–2,000 species in this widespread group. Members of the Genus ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 666, 660]
*
Hen flea Hen flea is a common name for several insects and may refer to:
* ''Ceratophyllus gallinae'', also known as the European chicken flea
* ''Echidnophaga gallinacea
''Echidnophaga gallinacea'', also known as the hen flea or sticktight flea, is part ...
*
House fly
The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It is believed to have evolved in the Cenozoic Era, possibly in the Middle East, and has spread all over the world as a commensal of humans. It is the most common fly ...
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 661–2]
*
Ichneumon wasp
The Ichneumonidae, also known as the ichneumon wasps, Darwin wasps, or ichneumonids, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25,000 species cu ...
sp.
*
Japanese scarab beetle[Bagemihl (1999) page 661]
*Larch bud
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...
*
Large milkweed bug
''Oncopeltus fasciatus'', known as the large milkweed bug, is a medium-sized hemipteran (true bug) of the family Lygaeidae.Attisano, A. (2013)
Oosorption and migratory strategy of the milkweed bug,''Oncopeltus fasciatus. Animal Behaviour 86(3): ...
*
Large white
''Pieris brassicae'', the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, ''Pieris r ...
*
Leek moth
The leek moth or onion leaf miner (''Acrolepiopsis assectella'') is a species of moth of family Acrolepiidae (formerly Glyphipterigidae) and the genus '' Acrolepiopsis''. The species is native to Europe and Siberia, but is also found in North A ...
*
Long-legged fly
Dolichopodidae, the long-legged flies, are a large, cosmopolitan family of true flies with more than 7,000 described species in about 230 genera. The genus ''Dolichopus'' is the most speciose, with some 600 species.
Dolichopodidae generally ar ...
spp.
*
Mazarine blue
''Cyaniris semiargus'', the Mazarine blue, is a Palearctic butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.
Subspecies
Subspecies include:
* ''Cyaniris semiargus semiargus'' (Europe, Caucasus, Siberia, Russian Far East)
* ''Cyaniris semiargus altaiana'' (, ...
*Mexican white (
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...
)
*
Midge
A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non- mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some m ...
sp.
[Bagemihl (1999), pages 661–2]
*
Migratory locust
The migratory locust (''Locusta migratoria'') is the most widespread locust species, and the only species in the genus ''Locusta''. It occurs throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It used to be common in Europe but has now become ...
[Bagemihl (1999), page 659]
*
Monarch butterfly
The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly ( subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. ...
*
Narrow-winged damselfly spp.
*
Parsnip leaf miner
*
Peach moth
''Grapholita molesta'', the oriental fruit moth or peach moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is native to China, but was introduced to Japan and North America and is now also found throughout of Europe, Asia and South America and in ...
*
Pomace fly
*
Queen butterfly
The queen butterfly (''Danaus gilippus'') is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of . It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and redd ...
*
Red ant
Fire ants are several species of ants in the genus ''Solenopsis'', which includes over 200 species. ''Solenopsis'' are stinging ants, and most of their common names reflect this, for example, ginger ants and tropical fire ants. Many of the name ...
sp.
*
Red flour beetle
The red flour beetle (''Tribolium castaneum'') is a species of beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles. It is a worldwide pest of stored products, particularly food grains, and a model organism for ethological and food safety r ...
*
Rice moth
*
Reindeer warble fly (''Hypoderma tarandi'')
*
Rose chafer (''Macrodactylus subspinosus'')
*
Rove beetle
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, th ...
spp.
*
Scarab beetle (melolonthine)[Bagemihl (1999), page 661]
*
Screwworm fly
*
Southeastern blueberry bee
*
Southern green stink bug
*
Southern masked chafer
*
Southern one-year canegrub
*
Spreadwinged damselfly spp.
*
Spruce budworm moth
*
Stable fly
''Stomoxys calcitrans'' is commonly called the stable fly, barn fly, biting house fly, dog fly, or power mower fly. Unlike most members of the family Muscidae, ''Stomoxys calcitrans'' ('sharp mouth' + 'kicking') and others of its genus suck bl ...
sp.
*
Stag beetle
Stag beetles are a family of about 1,200 species of beetles in the family Lucanidae, currently classified in four subfamilies.Smith, A.B.T. (2006). A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections ...
spp.
*
Tsetse fly
Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glos ...
*
Tropical tasar silkmoth
*
Vine moth
''Eupoecilia ambiguella'', the vine moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Europe, China (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Zh ...
*
Water boatman bug
*
Water strider
The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or water skimmers. Consistent with the classification of the Gerridae as t ...
spp.
Other invertebrates
*
Blood-fluke
''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed ''schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World Health ...
[Zimmer (2000)]
*
Box crab
A box ( plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and ...
[Bagemihl (1999) page 657]
*
Harvestman
The Opiliones (formerly Phalangida) are an order of arachnids colloquially known as harvestmen, harvesters, harvest spiders, or daddy longlegs. , over 6,650 species of harvestmen have been discovered worldwide, although the total number of ext ...
sp.
[Bagemihl (1999) pages 236, 704, 713]
*Hawaiian orb-weaver (
spider
Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species d ...
)
*
Incirrate octopus spp.
*
Jumping spiders
Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family Salticidae. As of 2019, this family contained over 600 described genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all species. Jumping ...
*
Mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...
sp.
*
Spiny-headed worm[Bagemihl (1999), pages 668, 667]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Animals Displaying Homosexual Behavior
Animals
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
Homosexual
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...