Is it true that only humans and dolphins enjoy sex?

On the Internet you can find statements that dolphins are the only creatures, other than humans, who enjoy the process of mating, and are not just guided by the instinct of reproduction. We decided to check if this is true.

In the public consciousness, dolphins are generally unique animals: the media write that they rescue people in the water and come up with personal names for yourself. And the fact that dolphins mate for pleasure, like people, Seems another proof of their highly developed state. In popular Internetcollections Dolphins are singled out as the only such animals.

The social function of mating in animals has been known for a long time. Animals engage in sex not only for procreation: in the wild, there is also sex with very young females who are unable to conceive, and same-sex sex, which by definition cannot lead to reproduction.

Male bonobo monkeys, for example, rubbing genitals in tense situations - for example, being aroused by the sight of found food or hearing the cries of monkeys from another troop. Females do the same, but not only in case of excitement. Young bonobo females, finding themselves in a new troop, choose one of the older females there and try to become her “protégé,” including by rubbing her genitals.

Sex serves as an important way to strengthen social bonds in a pod of dolphins. How found out scientists, dolphins often engage in same-sex relationships. Sexual behavior has also been observed in very young individuals. For example, female bottlenose dolphins rub their snouts and fins against each other's clitoris. 

Moreover, social status appears to influence enjoyment. Biologist Alfonso Troisi thought female orgasms in Japanese macaques. The scientist observed 240 sexual acts, in 80 of which the female experienced orgasm, and saw a correlation. Most often, females with low status in the pack experienced orgasm when they mated with high-ranking males. “The mechanisms controlling orgasm threshold in female macaques are more sensitive to social stimuli and less constrained by physiological constraints than previously thought,” Troisi suggested.

By the way, about the female orgasm. For conception he not necessary, so the presence of orgasm in females would tell us a lot about how animals feel during sex. Clitoris available in all mammals. But whether it is functional is a question that is not obvious to scientists.

The clitoris has recently begun to be studied even in the human body. Unlike the penis, the anatomy of the clitoris was completely described just at the end of the 90s of the XX century. It was first fully studied by the Australian scientist Helen O'Connell. In an anatomy textbook, she came across a description that the female genital organs are “unsuccessfully” formed male ones. The wording angered her so much that O'Connell made female private parts her topic of study and became Australia's first female urologist.

The idea of ​​the clitoris as an underdeveloped penis appeared because any embryo in the womb - no matter what gender - initially has the same gender tubercle. Around the 12th week of pregnancy (if we are talking about a person), he is being formed either into the penis or into the clitoris. So the clitoris in female animals could turn out to be just a useless “unhappened” penis. However, this is not the case - at least for some species. Scientists managed to call in the laboratory orgasm in cows, as well as in female chimpanzees and macaques. This means their clitoris was responding to stimulation.

And in recent years, a group of female scientists has been studying the clitoris in dolphins. They came to conclusionthat there are many vessels and nerve endings in the clitoris. The organ is well developed, capable of erection and even more well located than in humans, found out Dr. Dara Orbach and her colleagues.

There is scientific work that even suggests a connection between the pleasure of sex and ovulation. In some mammals, ovulation—the moment when an egg becomes available for conception—does not occur at a specific time in the reproductive cycle, as in humans. In squirrels, moles, raccoons, and koalas, ovulation is caused by sexual intercourse with the male itself. Biologists noticedthat in such animals the clitoris is located on the border with the vagina or inside it. In fact, they hypothesized that ovulation in these animals is stimulated by pleasure.

However, the ability to enjoy sex does not mean that animals often succeed in this in the wild. The same dolphins - with their large and functional clitorises - are not always happy about sex. Scientists observedthat when pestered by males, female dusky dolphins often try to escape, fight off with their tails or curl their backs so that the male cannot reach the genitals.

Mostly not true

What do our verdicts mean?

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