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closeA question of homosexuality in bats
Posted by SchenectadyScott on 02 Apr 2013 at 03:28 GMT
Just out of pure science and understanding....I am wondering if there was any observation of homosexual acts of the bats. Either male to male or female to female. I would think in 13 months of observation of these acts...this would of been brought forth. I hope this is addressed. Thank you for any thoughts concerning this from the study.
RE: A question of homosexuality in bats
mailbox_gm replied to SchenectadyScott on 02 Apr 2013 at 15:27 GMT
Yes, homosexual activities are observed in 22 species of megachiropteran (fruit-eating) and microchiropteran (insect-eating) bats. Although we have not observed homosexual behavior in bats in our study, it was observed in our study species (Indian flying fox, Pteropus giganteus; Neuweiler 1969 Z. Tierpsychol. 26: 166-199). Homosexual activity was exhibited in other bats like grooming and licking in the Australian flying fox, P. poliocephalus (Nelson 1965 Anim Behav 13:544-557); homosexual masturbation in vampire bat (Greenhall 1965, Mammalia 29:441-445); homosexual play in P.giganteus (Neuweiler 1969) and P. livingstonii and P. rodricensis (Courts 1996, J.Wildl.Preserv. Trusts 32: 15-37); homosexual mounting in P.giganteus (Neuweiler 1969) , Myotis lucifugus (Barclay and Thomas 1979, J. Mammal. 60: 632-634) and Thomas et al. 1979, Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 6: 129-136. For more information, please see: M. Riccucci (2011) Same-sex sexual behaviour in bats. Hystrix It. J. Mamm. (n.s.) 22: 139-147.