While mating in the animal kingdom has traditionally been seen as a means of producing offspring, many species are thought to enjoy sex. Receiving pleasure may be the impetus they need to risk procreation – after all, sex can be dangerous as one or both partners may be aggressive, and engaging in mating rituals reduces time spent feeding or watching out for predators.
It would therefore make sense for this to be incentivised in some way. Here, we take a look at whether some animal species (apart from humans) enjoy sex.
- What animals mate for life? Meet the most devoted couples in the animal kingdom
- Why do so many organisms have sex?
Do animals enjoy sex?
Scientists have found that bonobos and white-faced capuchin monkeys had sex at points when pregnancy wasn’t possible, such as when they were pregnant or lactating following birth. While this doesn’t confirm that these animals are receiving pleasure during sex, it hints at there being an additional motivation for animal sex beyond procreation.
While they're ovulating, female lions are known to copulate up to 100 times a day (unsurprisingly making them one of the animal species that has the most sex). While this might just be part of their evolutionary desire to procreate, it's thought that this might be going above and beyond the call of duty...
Do animals have orgasms?
A key way to assess whether animals enjoy sex is to interrogate whether they orgasm – particularly for females of the species, for whom orgasms aren’t integral for procreation.
Female primates show the same physiological symptoms of orgasm as in female humans, but orgasm in other female animals has been trickier to prove.
During a 1998 study, 240 copulations between Japanese macaques were observed, with female orgasmic responses observed in 33%. They observed what they called female orgasmic responses as: ‘the female turns her head to look back at her partner, reaches back with one hand, and grasps the male.’ The frequency of orgasms were higher for copulations lasting longer and involving a higher number of mounts and pelvic thrusts. More interestingly still, the frequency was increased in pairs of high-ranking males and low-ranking females, and the lowest between low-ranking males and high-ranking females. These findings suggested that the likelihood of orgasm in female macaques was increased with male dominance.
Do animals masturbate?
Males and females of many species masturbate. Dogs humping pillows is just one example of animal masturbation that can sometimes take place in our own home! A 2023 UCL study researched private masturbation in primates, and found that young chimpanzees would fashion DIY sex toys from bits of chewed-up fruit, female Celebes crested macaques slapped their hinds while inserting their fingers into their vaginas, and baboons masturbated while watching female baboons with large prosthetic bottoms (attached by researchers to replicate the swellings females develop during the most fertile period of their cycle).
There might be an additional benefit for procreation in male masturbation, with the act allowing males to clear out the system and replenish their semen with new, high-quality sperm.
Do animals engage in homosexual acts?
Many species of animal engage in homosexual acts, with same-sex behaviours recorded in over 1,500 animal species. Many of these might be intimate social interactions, but others involve genital rubbing and copulation. In 2022, a pair of humpback whales were captured by photographers in Maui off the coast of Hawaii, in what was considered to be the first evidence of homosexual behaviour in the species. The photographs seem to show one of the whales holding the other in place with its pectoral fins while penetrating it. Find out more about how whales mate.
Do animals have oral sex?
Oral sex does occur in the animal kingdom, which is another suggestion that animals enjoy sex and sexual touching. Oral sex has been observed in primates, spotted hyenas, short-nosed fruit bats, goats and sheep.
Female cheetahs and lions have been known to lick and rub males’ genitals as part of their mating ritual.
A 2014 study showed that two brown bears (raised in captivity) had engaged in recurrent fellatio multiple times a day until they were at least 10 years old. The roles of provider and receiver in the act of oral sex remained consistent, and the behaviour became ritualised. The act appeared to result in ejaculation. The study suggested that the behaviour began as a result of the deprivation of maternal sucking, after the pair were orphaned as cubs. It then remained as a habit because of the satisfying nature of the act.
More from the animal kingdom and its relationship with sex: