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"  University of Queensland researchers garnered attention last week with their finding that koalas in captivity frequently engage in lesbian sex. But koalas are hardly the first animals to have been outed by scientists. Researchers have identified more than 300 softball-playing and Streisand-loving vertebrate species. Here, Esquire&amp;#039;s Field Guide to Gay Animals.  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis These mountain sheep spend most of the year living in sex-segregated groups and almost all males participate in homosexual sex. Typically, an older male courts a younger male, lowering his head and neck and sometimes flicking his tongue and growling. The older ram then mounts the younger one from behind. On occasion, rams engage in &amp;quot;huddles,&amp;quot; a cluster of as many as ten rams rubbing, nuzzling and mounting each other.   Black Swan Cygnus atratus Some male swans form stable, long-lasting relationships with other males and occasionally raise children together. Males may have sex with a female, build a nest with her, and then chase the female away once she has laid the egg. The male then raises the baby with his male partner. Other times gay couples chase heterosexual couples from their nests, then raise the chick as if it were their own. These homosexual couples are frequently better-suited to parenting than their heterosexual counterparts -- as two males, they can secure a bigger territory. Since it is possible for these swans to raise a family without having sex with a female, some swans are most likely exclusively homosexual.   Bonobo Pan paniscus Humans&amp;#039; closest relatives, these chimpanzees engage in frequent sex, often as a means to avoid conflict. Roughly 40-50 percent of all bonobo sexual interactions are homosexual, and these are primarily between females. As often as every two hours, a female bonobo wraps her legs around her partner&amp;#039;s waist as they quickly rub their genitals together. They gaze into each other&amp;#039;s eyes, grimace and squeal until the sex culminates in what researchers assume is an orgasm. Less frequently, males engage in homosexual activities including oral sex and &amp;quot;penis fencing,&amp;quot; where they swing their penises at each other like swords.   Boto Dolphin Inia geoffrensis Scientists have observed males penetrate the genital slit, the anus and the blowhole of other male Botos. This behavior has only been studied in males in captivity without females. As a result, there is some contention as to whether or not such behavior, perhaps like prison sex, qualifies participants as gay.   Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus These large, shore-dwelling birds sometimes form three-way relationships, most often with two females and one male. Both females mate with the male as well as with each other, essentially as a form of cooperation. One female lifts her tail upward, and the other mounts her, using her wings to maintain balance. Roughly five percent of female Oystercatchers engage in homosexual sex.  Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber In captivity, both male and female flamingos form homosexual relationships. Companions travel together, sleep side by side, and preen and feed each other. Occasionally these couples have sex, although full genital contact has only been observed between females. Rarely, flamingos engage in a triad (known more familiarly as a menage a trois) with two males and one female. Humans have long assumed these skinny, pink birds were gay.   Japanese Macaque Macaca fuscata Female macaques form short-term exclusive relationships known as consortships with other females. They groom each other, defend their partners against other animals, and regularly mount one another. These ladies have been observed having sex in at least seven different positions.   Humboldt Penguins Spheniscus humboldti Some male Humboldt penguins mate with other males for life and live with their partner in a nest they built together. To have sex, one penguin lies on his stomach and holds up his tail in order to expose his cloaca, the opening for the genital, urinary and intestinal tracts. Five percent of penguin couples in zoos are all-male.   Killer Whale Orcinus orca During the summer and fall, different communities of whales join together, allowing for temporarily male-only groups. Two male orcas -- although occasionally more -- playfully splash the surface of the water and make physical contact. Sometimes one male swims underwater and rubs the other whale&amp;#039;s three-foot long penis with his beak. They swim in this position, dive into the water intertwined, then typically repeat the act with the positions reversed. Perhaps the world&amp;#039;s most considerate animal, 90 percent of Orcas&amp;#039; homosexual encounters are reciprocal.   Koala Phascolarctos cinereus Female koalas in captivity mount one another, sometimes in groups as large as five. Typically, a female clings to a tree trunk while the other female thrusts from behind and bites the other&amp;#039;s neck. In the most recent study in Australia, researchers observed three times as many homosexual encounters as heterosexual ones. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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