Why Insects Have Gay Sex | Live Science

Contents:

• WHY INSECTS HAVE GAY SEX
• BILLNS OF SECTS ARE HAVG GAY SEX 'ACCINTALLY' SAY SCIENTISTS
• ARE BUGS GAY? SPIRS AND INSECTS ENGAGE IN ACCINTAL HOMOSEXUALY
• GAY INSECT
• THE SURPRISGLY GAY WORLD OF SECT SEX

WHY INSECTS HAVE GAY SEX

Male sects generally have gay sex by mistake: they n't tell the difference between a male and female until the act is done.

But a new review of homosexual sect enunters suggts the acts may not be that straightforward for the dividuals volved.

Rearchers have wily examed homosexual behavr mammals and birds, but have addrsed ls equently sects and spirs. To asss the range of evolutnary explanatns for same-sex terurse the vertebrate world, a team of blogists om Tel Aviv Universy Israel and the Swiss Feral Instute of Technology Zurich, Swzerland examed roughly 100 existg studi on the topic and piled the first prehensive review of homosexualy vertebrat.

BILLNS OF SECTS ARE HAVG GAY SEX 'ACCINTALLY' SAY SCIENTISTS

Whereas larger animals have veloped more plited homosexual motivatns — like matag allianc, which has been found certa primate and seagull speci — sects seem to mistakenly partake a hasty attempt to secure mat. [Gay Animals: Alternate Liftyl the Wild]"They have evolved to mate quick and dirty, " said study -thor Inon Scharf, an evolutnary elogist at Tel Aviv Universy. "Other studi do, however, show evince of more tentnal and malic motivatns behd homosexual sect sex.

ARE BUGS GAY? SPIRS AND INSECTS ENGAGE IN ACCINTAL HOMOSEXUALY

Even so, one study found that certa male sects have veloped femalelike genals to lower the risk of damage om homosexual sect sex pleasurable? On the other hand, female-female homosexualy appears to have a separate set of motivatns, and serv a whole separate analysis, Scharf said. In fact, one study found that certa female beetl mount each other to look larger and attract more male equency of homosexual behavr the sect world also remas unclear; however, more s have been observed the lab than the field.

" The team next hop to nduct experimental studi on a speci of beetle to terme how homosexual behavr affects different aspects of the animal's life, and whether the behavr is lked to any other specific typ of Lra Poppick on Twter. Many speci of sects and spirs engage homosexual behavr, like urtg, mountg, and tryg to mate wh members of the same sex. Oliver Mart of ETH Zurich have found that homosexual behavr bugs is probably accintal most s.

GAY INSECT

In birds and mammals, homosexual behavr has been shown to have evolutnary benefs. In general there is no clear benef to homosexual behavr sects. Homosexual matg is at least as risky as the heterosexual kd, expendg sperm, wastg time that uld go toward other activi, and boostg the risk of jury, disease, and predatn.

They expect homosexual behavr to be siarly stly. And yet, some speci, up to 85 percent of mal engage homosexual behavr.

THE SURPRISGLY GAY WORLD OF SECT SEX

Almost 80 percent of the s of homosexual behavr the rearchers appeared to be the rult of misintifitn or belated intifitn of genr. This explanatn is supported by the fact that many speci that exhib homosexual behavr also mate wh related speci or animate objects, like beer bottl—ditg a general tenncy toward misintifitn. "Homosexual behavr may be genomilly lked to beg more active, a better forager, or a better petor, " says Dr.

To nfirm their theory, the rearchers plan to study the ndns that make homosexual behavr more or ls likely bugs. They also want to look more eply to male ristance to homosexual matg.