Gorillas Engage In Lesbian Activity, Researcher Uncovers
New evidence of homosexual behavior in female gorillas has just been formally documented for the first time by an Australian researcher.
While studying the species in Rwanda, Associate Professor Cyril Grueter actually spotted same-sex sexual interactions, including frottage and "courtship displays," in 18 of the 22 female mountain gorillas he was observing.
“Given that all these observations come from wild groups, not gorillas held in captivity, it is obvious that homosexual activity is part of the gorillas’ natural behavior,” Grueter said.
One hypothesis Grueter provides to explain the behavior is that a female may be dissatisfied when her sexual advances are rejected by a male.
He also suggests that homosexual behavior could be an attempt by the gorilla to decrease other females' motivation to mate with a male partner, which in turn would reduce other females' "reproductive success."
