Ha!

[RainDog]

6. bonobos, or pygmy chimps also have sex for fun

Last edited Mon Feb 20, 2012, 04:55 AM - Edit history (1)

or, more to the point, use sexual contact to diminish tensions within their communities rather than resorting to violent ways of dealing with issues of social hierarchies -

bonobos' sexual activity doesn't fit into human ideas of "alities."

sexual acts occur in all different kinds of configurations and are not limited to male-female or female-female or male-male.

bonobo females do have a visible estrus cycle - and it exists for a longer time than in common chimps.

but there are all sorts of mammals that have demonstrated homosexual behavior - so it seems that homosexuality is part of the natural world.

that selfish gene idea still has interesting things to say, but I like some of the work that looks at broader issues - the way in which affiliative behavior, or social benefit behavior, benefits the individual, too. We already know sexuality isn't just for reproduction, so it seems that social bonds can confer benefits for a group.