Study finds widespread same-sex behavior among primates & could help explain why nature is so gay - LGBTQ Nation

"The study's authors researched 96 peer-reviewed studies documenting SSB to compile one of the most comprehensive datasets for primates to date. The study found that SSB are a "persistent and integral component of primate social [practices]." In fact, the prevalence of SSB across a variety of closely related primate species - and over several lines of descendants - "indicates a deep evolutionary root or multiple independent evolutionary origins," the study's authors wrote."

"Past theories have suggested that animals exhibit SSB to increase group cohesion, to signal dominance among a larger group, to practice for procreative sex, or as a result of mistaken gender identity in species where males and females look similar. Social cohesion was likely a possible reason for SSB, researchers said, especially since they found that the occurrence of SSB was more likely in primate species that live in drier environments where food is scarce and the threat of predators is high;"

Same-sex sexual behavior occurs in over 59 primate species and is part of a broader pattern observed in more than 1,500 animal species. A dataset assembled from 96 peer-reviewed studies documents SSB as a persistent and integral component of primate social practices. The prevalence of SSB across closely related species and multiple descendant lines indicates deep evolutionary roots or multiple independent origins. Proposed adaptive explanations include increased group cohesion, dominance signaling, practice for procreative sex, and mistaken gender recognition. Occurrence correlates with drier, food-scarce habitats, higher predation risk, longer lifespans, and greater sexual size dimorphism.

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