Animals that masturbate

Animal non-reproductive sexual behavior encompasses sexual activities that non-human animals participate in which do not lead to the reproduction of the species.

Dr Matilda Brindle UCL Anthropology shares her new study in The Conversation on the evolutionary origins and advantages of auto sexual behaviour across the animal kingdom. Self-pleasure is common across the animal kingdom: from dogs humping unwitting teddy bears to dolphins thrusting their penises into decapitated fish yes, really , animal masturbation is a raucous affair. We focused our research on primates the group of animals humans belong to because, if there were a prize for the most inventive onanists in the animal kingdom, they would win. Young chimpanzees fashion DIY sex toys from bits of chewed-up fruit. Female Sulawesi crested macaques slap their rumps while repeatedly inserting their fingers into their vaginas.

Animals that masturbate

There are examples of animals masturbating before sex, after sex, and sometimes even instead of sex. Masturbation behavior is observed in a variety of animal species. Some of the animals known to engage in masturbation include:. Male horses, donkeys, zebras, and deer are often observed having spontaneous erections and then repeatedly slapping, bouncing, and pressing their penises against their own abdomens in the hopes of reaching an orgasm. Male Asian elephants have been recorded doing the same. Porcupines, who can easily curl up into a ball, can lick their own penis and give themselves self-fellatio. This is seen in bats as well in addition to homosexual fellatio with other males in the roost. According to an analysis of the database, self-pleasuring acts have been observed in over 80 species of primates, and they happen in both females and males, both in the wild and in captivity, at all ages. Not all primates love self-love, though. When Brindle used statistical modeling to extrapolate the data from modern primates into the past, her results suggested primates as long as 40 million years ago were already masturbating. There are two hypotheses as to why. Masturbation in males can improve their reproductive success by making sure that their sperm is fresh for mating and has been recently replenished. In a study from on Japanese macaques , younger macaques who seldom got a fortuitous chance to mate were seen masturbating more often than elders who were highly promiscuous. When analyzing the sperm, the scientists found that the longer it had been stored, the larger its volume and total sperm number became, and the lower the sperm swimming velocity and percentage of vital sperm. If males are constantly aroused and ready to ejaculate, it might also mean they can speedily deliver their sperm to a mate during copulation before any higher-ranking males or competition comes to interrupt the act and throw them off their mate.

At least in males, these self-pleasing practices do not reduce sperm count or inhibit a stallion's ability to impregnate a female, studies have found. Autoeroticism also occurs widely among animals, both male and female.

This post is part of Mashable's Masturbation Week. May is National Masturbation Month, so we're celebrating by exploring the many facets of self-love. But what about all those animals that aren't primates? How can species that lack hands perform this tender act of self-love? Think of the whales and the turtles. Here are seven animals that bravely find pretty NSFW ways to get their rocks off — and we mean actual rocks — without the use of hands.

Porcupines prefer sex toys, and moose get off by rubbing their antlers on trees. While scientists debate the evolutionary reason for masturbation, there's no doubt that humans are not alone in their self-pleasure from time to time. Here are some other creatures that partake in solo sex. While our shared interest with the animal kingdom highlights some similarities between Homo sapiens and the rest of Earth's fauna, scientists say there are some differences in how we go about it. For one, many animals that masturbate don't continue the deed until orgasm humans seem to be rather goal-oriented on this point. That means that some of the best theories for why masturbation evolved in humans are off the table for other animals.

Animals that masturbate

By Darren Incorvaia. June 6, at pm. Though masturbation is common across the animal kingdom, it seems, at its face, to be an evolutionary paradox: Why would an animal waste time, energy and reproductive resources on self-pleasure instead of copulating with a partner? Studies on individual species have found some explanations. Low-ranking Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata , for example, masturbate to keep their sperm fresh for when they get a rare chance to mate. But the questions of when and why masturbation evolved in the first place have remained unsolved.

St patricks athletic standings

By Sofia Quaglia. But if this artificial substitute is given to her a second season, she will not, as formerly, be content with it. Biology Letters. The frequency of orgasms did not correlate with the age or rank of the Japanese macaques. Read More: Mates for Life? Young male vampire bats and male fruit bats as in this video have both been seen pleasuring themselves with their tongues. Cambridge University press. Jorge Martin projects which players will lead MLB in the offensive and pitching categories this season. The Guardian. Masturbation in males can improve their reproductive success by making sure that their sperm is fresh for mating and has been recently replenished. The Oregonian. Updated May 10, at PM. Huffman; Paul L.

Despite centuries of taboo and titillation , masturbation in primates appears to serve an evolutionary purpose. A study published June 6 in the journal Proceedings of The Royal Society B , found that self-stimulating increases reproductive success and helps primates avoid sexually transmitted infections STI , at least in males. Self-pleasure is common across the animal kingdom , but is particularly frequent in primates including humans.

Without any flexible digits, they're left to rub their large penises against anything they can find — and that definitely includes rocks. Of course, the females masturbate as well , mostly through rubbing their vaginas on the sandy ocean floor. There are actually a surprising number of videos on YouTube of turtles masturbating by rubbing their privatest parts on everything from rocks to gravel. In a study from on Japanese macaques , younger macaques who seldom got a fortuitous chance to mate were seen masturbating more often than elders who were highly promiscuous. The mother did not intervene. Male stoats Mustela erminea will sometimes mate with infant females of their species. Download as PDF Printable version. The year-old Johnson was a second-team All-Pro in Many animals, both male and female, masturbate, both when partners are available and otherwise. The above video shows a randy beast who tried to woo a female and was turned down. Biology Letters. In one reported observation, a male spotted hyena attempted to mate with a female hyena , but she succeeded in driving him off. Kyoto University Press. We combined information on the evolutionary relationships between different primates think of it like an extensive family tree with our new data on their masturbatory behaviours or lack thereof.