Do you remember that one line from Gladiator where Proximo was complaining to the animal and slave trader that he was sold queer giraffes? Well, I bet that you didn’t know this. Giraffes are homosexual. They’re normally known for their long necks and ability to clean their ears with their own tongue, but this is surprising, to say the least. However, hile homosexuality among animals isn’t that rare, and some animals can exhibit some extremely disappointing sexual behaviors, it does occur more often than many people would think.
In today’s society, especially in more liberal western societies, homosexuality isn’t such a big deal. It’s actually a sexual practice that has changed with acceptance throughout history, regions and cultures. In ancient times, especially during the classical Greek and Roman empires, homosexuality was relatively common practice. In certain societies today, such as some tribes in Papua New Guinea, ritualistic sexual practices that border on homosexuality and child molestation still occur on a yearly basis. It’s worth noting though. While in many societies around the world homosexuality is accepted, there are some that still outlaw the practice. In fact, there are about a half a dozen countries around the world where it is a crime, and some of them the punishment is death. It makes me wonder how these countries would handle homosexual giraffes.
Why are giraffes homosexual?
Surprisingly, it’s mainly male giraffes that are homosexual. In all fairness, we were given a little insight, or a hint thanks to Melman from Madagascar, who may have been gay, thanks in part to his behavior. You really must admit, he was hardly the most “manly” character in the movie. But what makes this fact so fascinating is that such a high proportion of male giraffes are homosexual, especially when compared to females.
Among humans, the percentage of people who report being homosexual often doesn’t exceed ten percent of the population. The actual numbers are obviously prone to several factors. Some people would fear revealing their sexual preference, and some regions and cities are known for a higher proportion of of gay people. However, while for humans the number of gays rarely exceed ten percent, in giraffes it’s higher, much higher. The rate of giraffes that are homosexual or engage in homosexual sex has been up to 94 percent, earning them the title of being especially gay.
I guess you’re wondering how they do it. Believe it or not, but they don’t set out to have sex. It all begins with a fight.
Male giraffes will engage in fights. They will use their necks as weapons in this fight. In most cases they aren’t seriously injured, but it does happen from time to time. Rarely, some may end up with broken jaws, necks and even die from the battle. But they are a little like us. After the duel they have make up sex. They seriously do! They will usually begin courting and caressing each other after a fight before engaging in same sex intercourse.
In comparison, the females engage in same sex intercourse in less than one percent of recorded cases.
