Naslov
Fellatio in captive brown bears: evidence of long-term effects of suckling deprivation?

Autori
Sergiel, Agnieszka ; Maślak, Robert ; Zedrosser, Andreas ; Paśko, Łukasz ; Garshelis, David ; Reljić, Slaven ; Huber, Djuro

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, ostalo

Izvornik
Book of Abstracts of the 23rd International Conference on Bear Research & Management (IBA). / - Solun, 2014, 30-30

Skup
23rd International Conference on Bear Research & Management.

Mjesto i datum
Solun, Grčka, 05.10.2014. - 11.10.2014

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Brown bear, fellatio, captivity.

Sažetak
Little is known of sexual-oriented behaviors unrelated to reproduction in non-human mammals. Fellatio has been observed in a number of mammals, including bears, but the role and cause of this behavior remains unclear. Male brown bears and American black bears may lick the partner’s vulva during sexual activities. Masturbation with auto-fellatio has been observed in captive sloth bears, which had been taken from the wild as young cubs and deprived of maternal contact. Auto-fellatio has also been noted in a captive male brown bear orphaned as a cub. We observed regular and persistent fellatio in two captive male brown bears, both orphaned as cubs. We employed 20 video records to investigate the mechanisms and determinants of this behavior. Acts lasted, on average, 168 seconds, and occurred multiple times per day across all seasons (except during denning). The roles of the males, one as the provider and the other as receiver of fellatio, never changed during 6 years of observation, at which time the bears were 10 years old, and were housed with an adult female (with whom they had no sexual interactions). The humming vocalizations used by suckling bear cubs, were clearly audible during 18 acts, suggesting that the providing bear retained infantile behavior. To our knowledge, this constitutes the first study of this behavior in bears. Bear cubs are known to suckle their mother for milk, bonding, and comfort for at least the first year of their life. Orphaned bear cubs may suck their own or their sibling’s body parts, such as paws or ears, and body parts of a human caregiver as a substitute for nipples. Forced early-weaning and subsequent deprivation of proper and sufficient stimulation of suckling reflex can result in teat-searching behavior persisting into adulthood. Our data suggest that the fellatio behavior may have emerged from frustrated suckling reflex in individuals orphaned as cubs. These observations raise the unsettling possibility that wild bears that become orphaned (e.g., in human conflict situations) while still nursing may survive on their own in the wild yet suffer lifelong behavioral problems that cannot readily be observed by field biologists.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija, Veterinarska medicina

POVEZANOST RADA