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Research

 * A majority of the research available concerning animal homosexual behavior, lacks specification between animals that exhibit same-sex tendencies exclusively, and those that participate in heterosexual and homosexual mating activities interchangeably through out their lives. This lack of distinction has led to differing opinions and conflicting interpretations of collected data amongst scientists and researchers. For instance, Dr. Bruce Bagemihl, author of the book Biological Exuberence: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity, emphasizes that there is no anatomical or endocrinological differences between exclusively homosexual and exclusively heterosexual animal pairs. However, if the definition of "homosexual behavior" is modified to include animals that participate in both same-sex and opposite-sex mating activities, then differences in the levels of key sex hormones, such as testosterone and estradiol, have been found when comparing the hormone levels of these animals to those that are exclusively heterosexual.

Physiological Basis

 * A definite physiological explanation or reason for homosexual activity in animal species has not been agreed upon by researchers in the field. Numerous scholars are of the opinion that varying levels (either higher or lower) of the sex hormones in the animal, in addition to the size of the animals gonads , play a direct role in the sexual behavior and preference exhibited by that animal. Others firmly argue that there is no evidence to support these claims when comparing animals of a specific species that exhibit homosexual behavior exclusively and those that don't. Comprehensive endocrinological studies revealed that both sides of the argument were in fact accurate. Researchers found no evidence of differences in the measurements of the gonads, or the levels of the sex hormones of exclusively homosexual Western and Ring-billed Gulls . However, when analyzing these differences in "bisexual" rams, males were found to have lower levels of testosterone and estradiol in their blood, as well as smaller gonads then their heterosexual counterpart.


 * Additional studies pertaining to hormone involvement in homosexual behavior indicate that when administering treatments of testosterone and estradiol to female heterosexual animals, the elevated hormone levels increase the likelihood of homosexual behavior. Additionally, boosting the levels of sex hormones during an animal's pregnancy have been found to increase the likelihood of it birthing an offspring that exhibits homosexual tendencies.