Sociobiological Theories of Rape - Animal Coercive Sex

Animal Coercive Sex

Further information: Animal sexual behaviour#Coercive sex, Sexual selection, and Sexual conflict

It has long been noted that behavior resembling rape in humans is widespread in other animals, including ducks and geese, bottlenose dolphins, and chimpanzees. Indeed in orangutans, close human relatives, copulations of this nature may account for up to half of all observed matings. Such behaviours, referred to as ‘forced copulations’, involve an animal being approached and sexually penetrated whilst it struggles or attempts to escape. These observations of forced sex among animals are not controversial. What is controversial is the interpretation of these observations and the extension of theories based on them to humans. “Thornhill introduces this theory by describing the sexual behavior of scorpion flies. In which the male may gain sex from the female either by presenting a gift of food during courtship or without a nuptial offering, in which case force is necessary to restrain her.”