Animal sexual behaviour

Animal sexual behaviour includes courtship, mating, and other sexual activities in nonhuman animals. It can involve reproduction, social bonding, competition, or functions unrelated to conception.

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Sexual selection: Evolutionary change driven by differences in reproductive success, often through competition for mates or mate choice. Explains how mating preferences and competition can shape sexual traits and behavior.
Bonobo sexual behavior: The varied sexual interactions of bonobos, including behaviors used in social relationships as well as reproduction. Bonobos are a well-studied example of sexual activity serving social functions.
Animal behavior: The actions of animals in response to internal states and external conditions. Sexual behavior is one domain within the broader study of animal actions.
Sexual conflict: An evolutionary conflict between the reproductive interests of individuals of different sexes. Opposing reproductive interests can shape courtship, mating, and resistance.
Mate choice: The selection of reproductive partners based on traits, signals, or circumstances. Shows how preferences influence courtship and which animals reproduce.
Dolphin sexual behavior: Sexual behavior in dolphins, including mating, courtship, and interactions that can occur outside conception. Dolphins illustrate the diversity of sexual interactions in a highly social mammal.
Reproductive behavior: Behavior that contributes to producing offspring, including mate attraction, mating, and parental care. Places sexual activities within the wider set of behaviors linked to reproduction.
Parental investment: The time and resources a parent devotes to offspring at a cost to other potential offspring. Differences in care can alter mate competition and reproductive strategies.
Courtship display: A patterned signal or action performed during courtship that can attract or assess a potential mate. Displays are conspicuous behavioral steps that precede mating in many species.
Homosexual behavior in animals: Sexual behavior between members of the same sex documented in many animal species. Provides a broad, evidence-based view of same-sex behavior across species.