gayanimaloftheday

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

giraffes!

homosexual behavior in giraffes has been documented more than heterosexual behavior, largely between males but some between females. productive matings between a female and male that actually result in a baby are quite rare, which is theorized to contribute to the high rates of homosexuality in this species

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

copepods!

queerness can be found even in the tiniest of places! these minuscule crustaceans, a form of zooplankton, engage in both homosexuality and bisexuality, both of which have been observed in environments with equal amounts of males and females. with their sex-specific swimming patterns and chemical hormones, copepods appear to choose their preferred mating partners with specific intent.

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

American bison!

many male bison have been observed engaging in same-sex behavior in the wild, including courtship rituals, mounting, and sexual activity. while female same-sex behavior has only been recorded in captivity, studies have found that as much as 55 percent of sexual activity in young males in the wild is with the same gender!

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

Laysan Albatrosses!

these birds nest on islands in the Pacific, and in a study on Oahu, scientists found that a third of all pairings are female same-sex couples! they engage in all of the same preening behaviors that heterosexual pairs do, and will sometimes mate with a male in order to produce an egg that the two females raise together

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

giant tortoises!

did you know that the world's oldest land animal is gay? that's right, Jonathan the Seychelles Giant Tortoise is 192 years old, and his mate is another male named Frederik. while their species is sadly critically endangered, Jonathan and Frederik live happily on the island of St. Helena, eating, mating, playing, and sleeping together.

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

chinstrap penguins!

homosexuality is actually fairly common across multiple species of penguin! it was first documented as far back as 1911, and has since been corroborated by many studies. A pair of male chinstrap penguins named Roy and Silo became famous for successfully incubating another pair’s egg, resulting in a chick named Tango, which was popularized in a children’s book called "And Tango Makes Three."

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

humpback whales!

the first-ever photo of any two humpback whales in the process of mating was captured in 2022 (yes, that recently!) Scientists worldwide were surprised to discover that the photo was actually of two males. Since then, homosexual behavior between male humpback whales has been documented multiple times.

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

grey-headed flying foxes!

homosexual behavior has actually been noted in over 20 bat species! males and females of this particular species have been observed engaging in sexual and affectionate same-sex behavior. the acts are characterized by wrapping their large wings around each other, licking and grooming, and nuzzling their heads in each other's chests.

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

domestic sheep!

homosexuality in sheep has been well-documented. about 10% of all males are exclusively homosexual, refusing to mate with any female even while in heat, while about 22% are bisexual. same-sex behavior between females has been theorized and is likely, but remains difficult to document, due to the fact that female sheep demonstrate their interest in sex by standing completely still.

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

zebra finches!

these small birds form lifelong monogamous relationships. studies have found that both male and female same-sex bonds abound, even when there are plenty of opposite-sex finches available. they perch next to each other, sing, preen, and nuzzle each others' beaks, just like heterosexual birds!

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

bearded dragons!

among some reptile species, the temperature surrounding the egg as it incubates can dictate whether it hatches as a female or male. sometimes, in bearded dragons, temperature changes will result in one that has the body of a female, but the behavior of a male, including mating with other females!

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

blue-tailed damselflies!

in this species, females that display the color pattern and behavior of male damselflies are actually quite common. males also often court and mate with other males, both in the wild and captivity! interestingly, the presence of andromorphic females tends to make the rates of male homosexual pairings higher in a given environment.

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

elephants!

both African and Asian elephants engage in homosexual behavior, and it has been observed in both sexes. female same-sex behavior has only been observed in captivity, while there have been multiple accounts of male elephants mating in the wild. these relationships can last years, as opposed to heterosexual partnerships, which may only last for the breeding season.

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

garden snails!

these snails (like nearly all land snails, actually) contain both male and female reproductive systems. during a mating session, both of the participating snails can exchange or receive sperm reciprocally! they are also capable of self-fertilising their own eggs, although they usually opt for mating. sperm is deposited through what's called a "love dart" (yes, really) which essentially stabs a needle filled with sperm into the other snail's body. Fun!

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

bottlenose dolphins!

male bottlenose dolphins have been known to form long-lasting same-sex relationships, including hunting together, protecting each other from harm, and sexual activity. female bottlenose dolphins have often been observed using their beaks to stimulate each other. (dolphins also just have a lot of sex, in general)

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

greater blue-ringed octopuses!

these tiny venomous cephalopods are known to engage in bisexual behavior, with both same-sex and opposite-sex sexual activity occurring. there are no noticeable differences in behavior between the pairings!

[gayanimaloftheday]

today's gay animal of the day is...

black swans!

almost a quarter of black swan pairings are monogamously homosexual. male black swan couples have even been known to temporarily mate with a female, chase her away from the resulting egg, and then raise the egg themselves! studies show that the black swan chicks that are raised by same-sex parents, whether female or male, are more likely to make it to adulthood.