Male Donkey and Bull Form ‘Unusual’ Close Relationship
Researchers say 51 mounts and repeated grooming suggest the pair formed a selective bond beyond mating.
- Researchers from the University of Pisa documented a sustained same-sex relationship between a bull named Achille and a male donkey named Patroclo on an Ethiopian plateau, published today in Current Biology.
- Although same-sex sexual behavior occurs in over 1,000 animal species, interspecies interactions remain rare and typically involve aggression or mistaken identity, unlike the reciprocal bond between Achille and Patroclo.
- Over four days of observation, Achille mounted Patroclo 51 times, with 34 resulting in intromission; the pair frequently engaged in licking, rubbing, and nuzzling, suggesting deep social attachment.
- Study author Elisabetta Palagi said these interactions were "embedded in a very selective and consistent social relationship," indicating the bond transcended simple sexual arousal or random chance.
- Ecologist Vincent Savolainen cautioned that domestication limits generalizing findings to wild populations, though researchers plan to return to Ethiopia to assess whether the pair maintains their unusual bond.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Researchers Document Bull-Donkey Sexual Bond in Ethiopia
Researchers documented a selective relationship between Achille, a bull, and Patroclo, a male donkey, on an Ethiopian plateau: over four days, they recorded repeated mounting alongside affectionate behaviors, despite both animals having other potential partners. The brief observations suggest same-sex sexual behavior may also help foster social bonds, though the study cannot establish how long their relationship lasted. · 19 sources across the spectrum on IJR News.
The team of the evolutionary biologist Elisabetta Palagi, from the University of Pisa (UNIPI), studied gellings, endemic primates from the highlands of Ethiopia, when someone repaired in a couple of the most unusual: a bull with white and black spots mounted a male donkey that did not seem to show any rejection. But there was something else. Achilles and Patroclo, thus baptized in honor of the heroes of 'La Iliada' –joined by a deep friendship t…
Writing Science, 2 Nov (EFE).- Sexual relations between same-sex animals are very common in nature, but a new study documented an unusual continued link between a bull and a donkey living on a plateau in Ethiopia. Research led by the University of Pisa (Italy) and published Current Biology [...] The post Researchers observe an unusual sexual link between a bull and a donkey was first published in HolaNews.
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