In ancient myth, Achilles and Patroclus were two Greek heroes of the Trojan war whose intense bond was believed by some to have turned into a sexual relationship. In modern science, they are a bull, Achille, and a donkey, Patroclo, whose tender interspecies affair has helped to shed new light on social and sexual interactions between animals. Researchers say the two males have been spotted licking and rubbing each other, with the bull sometimes mounting the donkey.
The team said while other donkeys attempted to avoid Achille’s attentions and showed threatening facial expressions towards him, Patroclo often presented his hindquarters to Achille and nibbled him. The researchers studied Achille and Patroclo over four days when they were both grazing in the same area, and four days when only one was present. The team not only recorded 51 mountings of Patroclo by Achille, but noted licking and rubbing often occurred before and, more surprisingly, after such events.
Despite ample opportunity, neither Achille nor Patroclo tried to mount a member of their own species of either sex, although Achille did show courtship behaviours towards some female cattle. While rare, there have been other examples of interspecies hanky-panky, including a case of a male snow monkey attempting to have sex with female sika deer, and an Antarctic fur seal that not only sexually harassed king penguins but engaged in necrophilia. However, Palagi said there was no indication that the relationship between the donkey and the bull involved force.
Da Cruz said the mounting behaviour of Achille was unlikely to simply be a case of the bull exerting dominance. Palagi added that the relationship was an example of a sexual interaction that was disentangled from reproductive function. Palagi said it was unclear whether the sexual and social relationship between Patroclo and Achille had always co-existed or if one had led to the other.
But, she added, the bond appeared to bring benefits, both in terms of attention but potentially also support. Josh Luke Davis, the author of A Little Gay Natural History, said interspecies relationships were not necessarily unusual and that the widespread and common nature of queer behaviours in the natural world meant it was “probably not that surprising” that they overlapped.
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