Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Sex-Obsessed Or Just Sociable? Non-Copulatory Displays In The Hamerkop, Natasha Hagemeyer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph] Non‐copulatory sexual behavior is surprisingly common among animals ranging from insects to vertebrates. Although sometimes considered unusual or aberrant within a species, in some taxa non‐copulatory sexual behavior is widespread, and may even represent the majority of sexual behavior. Such behavior can also happen in many other contexts, including accidental contact, courtship, social bonding, and social structuring (Bagemihl 1999).