# Do animals perform cunnilingus and-or fellatio? And why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039 "2009-07-14T21:28:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bonitahi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@bonitahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonitahi)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/1 "2009-07-14T21:28:31Z")
Other than humans what, if any, animals perform cunnilingus and-or fellatio? And why? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/2 "2009-07-14T21:35:49Z")
I read somewhere that there are only two species that seem to enjoy sex for the sake of having sex (as opposed to just procreate): Dolphins and Humans There is not much call for cunnilingus/fellatio just to procreate (that is wham, bam you’re outta there). Those things are done for fun. ETA: Of course this begs for the old joke on why does a dog lick its balls? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/3 "2009-07-14T21:38:03Z")
Chimps and other primates have been documented performing oral sex. Same reasons as humans: because it feels good. Although the bonobos also use sexual play as part of dominance/heirarchy establishment. ETA: You can probably find online videos (not _those_ kind of videos! I mean documentaries) about chimps. [Wiki link about Bonobos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo) (no x-rated ape footage included). Also from Wiki: > [@](#): > > Auto-fellatio or oral sex in animals is documented in goats, primates, hyaenas and sheep. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/4 "2009-07-14T21:43:37Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I read somewhere that there are only two species that seem to enjoy sex for the sake of having sex (as opposed to just procreate): Dolphins and Humans. I don’t know about the dolphin part but that statement isn’t true. Bonobos (pygmy chimps) are the real sexual champions of the primate world including us. They get into some kinky stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/5 "2009-07-14T22:15:29Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I read somewhere that there are only two species that seem to enjoy sex for the sake of having sex (as opposed to just procreate): Dolphins and Humans It’s probably more accurate to say that humans are the only animals who have sex to procreate, as opposed to having sex just because they want to have sex. For non-human animals, they have sex because they have this urge to have sex–it’s an itch they have to scratch–and presumably it’s pleasurable (in a purely sensual way) for them to scratch that itch. And then, however many months later, boom, the female has a litter of babies. I doubt any non-human animal is capable of thinking at a high enough level (in terms of things like having a consciousness of the passage of time and the possibility of future events) to connect the two events. Thus, only humans are capable in principle of saying “Of course I don’t even enjoy this, but I shall lie back and think of England and so do my duty to produce strong healthy babies for the good of our society”. (Of course, I’m sure the reality is that most human sex is engaged in for reasons of pleasure as well.) Now, it’s true that animals evolved to find sex pleasurable because animals that found sex pleasurable had more babies (who would likely carry the “sex=fun” gene), whereas animals who preferred to just lounge around the jungle and play pinochle or something tended not to have many babies, thus dooming the “sex=meh” gene to extinction. So, in an indirect way, animals have sex in order to procreate. But no individual animal other than humans is actually capable of wanting to have sex in order to have babies on an individual, volitional level. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/6 "2009-07-14T22:21:19Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I read somewhere that there are only two species that seem to enjoy sex for the sake of having sex (as opposed to just procreate): Dolphins and Humans Yeah, I got that email forward a long time ago, too, and thought it was hysterical, and chimed in here to say what **MEBuckner** said, but not as well. **MEBuckner** , I salute you. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/7 "2009-07-14T22:23:19Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > It’s probably more accurate to say that humans are the only animals who have sex to procreate, as opposed to having sex just because they want to have sex. Well…yes and no. I mean to say humans and dolphins seem to be the only ones who engage in sex for purely recreational purposes (I have looked for cites and found some that repeat that but none I consider worthy of a cite here…so Bonobos may be in the picture too). Non-human animals on the other hand, while apparently finding sex enjoyable, do not seem to generally fornicate for fun. Their drive to have sex is to procreate even if they do not consciously know it (hmm…there is always the dog humping your leg phenomena). So sure humans “know” to have sex to make babies where other animals don’t but other animals are doing it for the primary purpose of procreation even if they have no clue why they are driven to do what they do. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/8 "2009-07-14T22:24:34Z")
[YouTube is your friend](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNLv4-p4Eiw). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/9 "2009-07-14T22:27:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Do animals perform cunnilingus and-or fellatio? And why? Why? Because they are not Catholics. 😃 So sayth a former semi-catholic. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/10 "2009-07-14T22:31:12Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > So sure humans “know” to have sex to make babies where other animals don’t but other animals are doing it for the primary purpose of procreation even if they have no clue why they are driven to do what they do. You could make the same argument for humans, too, since our own sex drive has the same evolutionary origin. The primary purpose of our sex drive (insofar as you can ascribe such a thing as a “purpose” to any aspect of evolution) is procreation, but that sex drive also results in behaviors that do not directly achieve the end of procreation, e.g., oral sex. This is apparently the case for some other species as well, so we’re nothing special there. But as far as we know we’re the only animal on this planet that makes the “sex -\> procreation” link intellectually and is capable of reasoning based on that implication. Thus, we’re the only animal capable of deciding to have sex for purposes of procreation only. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/11 "2009-07-14T22:34:04Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > [YouTube is your friend](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNLv4-p4Eiw). That did have to come from Thailand didn’t it? I didn’t see any ID on them but I am pretty sure that they are underage. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/12 "2009-07-14T22:35:00Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Well…yes and no. > > I mean to say humans and dolphins seem to be the only ones who engage in sex for purely recreational purposes (I have looked for cites and found some that repeat that but none I consider worthy of a cite here…so Bonobos may be in the picture too). > > Non-human animals on the other hand, while apparently finding sex enjoyable, do not seem to generally fornicate for fun. Their drive to have sex is to procreate even if they do not consciously know it (hmm…there is always the dog humping your leg phenomena). > > So sure humans “know” to have sex to make babies where other animals don’t but other animals are doing it for the primary purpose of procreation even if they have no clue why they are driven to do what they do. What does it even _mean_ to say that dolphins/bonobos/whatevers have sex for purely recreational purposes as opposed to other animals? They’re all doing it out of horny urges and for physical pleasure, without any knowledge of the effects. So what’s the difference? Just because a factoid is widely repeated doesn’t mean there’s any merit to it. In the words of our [Master](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/55/do-female-pigs-have-six-minute-orgasms), “Scientifically speaking, animals _always_ do it for fun. The only critters who do it because they have to are Catholics.” ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/13 "2009-07-15T02:36:29Z")
I had heard that female bonobos will perform in exchange for food. I saw an episode of Manswers that said that the answer to the question of “what animals have sex for money” [paraphrasing from memory, as I can only tolerate that show for about 5 minutes at a time.] is chimpanzees. Also, while I’m here: How do you pronounce “bonobo”? ---
**Author:** ![bonitahi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@bonitahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonitahi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/14 "2009-07-15T03:46:50Z")
"I saw an episode of Manswers that said that the answer to the question of “what animals have sex for money…is chimpanzees.” Can’t be true. When I was growing up the girl next door…and then again in college I was introduced to this lady…well, never mind, but your statement is CERTAINLY wrong. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/15 "2009-07-15T09:34:29Z")
Yes. For pleasure, by accident, for social bonding, and for social standing and/or currency. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/16 "2009-07-15T09:44:15Z")
This thread cannot pass without reference to [lezogs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIcrCZQkSlg). ETA damn that link is funny. I’d forgotten how funny it was. And there’s lots of homosexual animal oral sex in it too so it’s perfectly relevant. Enjoy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/17 "2009-07-15T10:53:19Z")
> [@bonitahi](#): > > Other than humans what, if any, animals perform cunnilingus and-or fellatio? > And why? My brother’s dog is heavily into autolingus…also seems fascinated by heterolingus–goes after all the human genitalia he can nose up to. bun OH boe ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/18 "2009-07-15T11:35:25Z")
I cannot believe I am the first to cite [Cecil’s column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/465/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-gay-animal), partly on this very subject: > [@](#): > > I have a photograph here from a book of sex research (a perfectly sober volume, let me assure you) showing a male gorilla administering oral gratification to his lady. > > He does this by climbing up on her thighs, leaning down, and perching on his head. The effect is not as graceful as it might be. A younger male gorilla observes with interest from the sidelines. The column is worth a read, if just for the immortal phrase “carnal union with a mango” (I know, I know…band name!) ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/19 "2009-07-15T11:58:21Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > What does it even _mean_ to say that dolphins/bonobos/whatevers have sex for purely recreational purposes as opposed to other animals? They’re all doing it out of horny urges and for physical pleasure, without any knowledge of the effects. So what’s the difference? > > Just because a factoid is widely repeated doesn’t mean there’s any merit to it. In the words of our [Master](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/55/do-female-pigs-have-six-minute-orgasms), “Scientifically speaking, animals _always_ do it for fun. The only critters who do it because they have to are Catholics.” The root of that factoid is that only dolphins and humans (and probably a few others) have concealed fertility. In other mammal species, ovulation is accompanied by some big external signal, and it’s only during these periods of estrus or “heat” that females are sexually receptive. And, correspondingly, males usually don’t bother trying to have sex with females that aren’t in heat, because on some level they know that it won’t get anything done. Now, in humans and dolphins, there aren’t any clear external cues of when a female is ovulating and fertile. Still, the period of fertility is a relatively small fraction of time – a week or so per month in humans. Dolphins have a vaguely similar cycle, ovulating randomly a few times during the breeding season. The statement “dolphins and humans have sex for fun” is a crude oversimplification, perhaps better stated as “dolphins and humans have sex constantly, even though they’re only fertile for a small fraction of the time”. Bonobos do constantly have sex, but according to Wiki the females are in heat pretty much constantly. Still, as other posters have mentioned, they have a lot of sex that certainly isn’t for reproduction. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039/20 "2009-07-15T16:37:48Z")
We used to have two female mini-daschunds that liked to 69 on the living room floor. ---- Now that right there is funny. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-perform-cunnilingus-and-or-fellatio-and-why/503039.md?page=2)