Just like certain reality show contestants, female gorillas apparently use their feminine wiles not just to get pregnant, but to keep their men away from the competition.
A study at Zoo Atlanta found that female gorillas solicited more sex on days when males were boning other mates. They did so even when they were pregnant or lactating and couldn't possibly conceive, meaning they were probably "offering sex" just to keep the males away from other partners. The article headline calls this behavior "unproductive sex," but it sounds productive to us, if it helps females win the ongoing game of The Bachelor that is life in the gorilla pit. Also amusing is the caption to the accompanying photo [above]: "A female gorilla (left) sends a "come hither" look to the silverback male." Now we'll know what it looks like if a female gorilla ever hits on us.
Anyway, this news of gorilla competition comes just a little over a year after the first wild (and we do mean wild) sighting of gorillas having missionary sex — while the female's daughter looked on. Gorillas: Just Like Us!
Jealous Female Gorillas Solicit Unproductive Sex [New Scientist]