Australian researchers have discovered dolphins of the same-sex engaging in ‘homosexual behavior’.
The Mandurah Dolphin Research Project has tracked the dolphins in the waters south of Perth in Western Australia.
The project is part of research at Murdoch University. The team spotted the male dolphins engaging in the behaviour outside of peak mating season.
Researcher Krista Nicholson told the Mandurah Mail the male dolphins were hanging out in a pod of 15.
‘These dolphins, all but three of them juveniles, organised themselves in four sub-groups in which they were observed engaging in socio-sexual behaviour that included mounting and genital contact between individuals,’ she told the newspaper.
Nicholson said dolphins engage in homosexual behaviour as an important part in the creating bonds between males. The homosexual behaviour also aids in working out hierarchical structures in pods and ultimate alliances.
‘Homosexual behaviour, as identified here, has been described for dolphin populations elsewhere.’
Gay dolphins everywhere
While the research team had seen similar behaviours in other parts of Western Australia they were excited to witness it again.
‘Apart from homosexual behaviour, males, unlike females, in Shark Bay have also been recorded to perform synchronous displays,’ she said.
‘In Shark Bay, where male dolphins form life-long alliances, socio-sexual interactions between males are more common than between females or between the sexes.’
