A manatee that engaged in gay incestuous activity died at a zoo, according to officials.
Hugh, the manatee, mated with his brother, Buffett, multiple times at Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, leading to an accident that caused the animal’s death in April, according to NBC News.
#animals #science A manatee named Hugh died from injuries sustained during “increased” mating behavior with his brother Buffett. The manatees were under observation and no signs of distress were observed. Manatees engage in sexual behavior with whomever… https://t.co/L018KS5jXV
— AM1_NEWS (@am1_news) July 28, 2023
The popular 38-year-old marine mammal suffered a deadly injury while mating with his brother. There was a “14.5 cm long tear in the ventral wall” of Hugh’s colon, a necropsy conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab concluded. (RELATED: Mass Stranding Leaves 55-Whale Pod Dead, Survivors To Be Euthanized)
“On the day of Hugh’s passing, Hugh and Buffett engaged in natural, yet increased, mating behavior observed and documented in manatees both in managed care and in the wild,” Mote wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “This was the first time such heightened mating behavior was witnessed between the two manatees. However, each year, like other male manatees in both the wild and in managed care, Hugh and Buffett would exhibit approximately two months of seasonal behavioral changes including, but not limited to, an increase in sexual behavior.”
Both manatees were “under heightened observation throughout the day,” constantly cared for by veterinarians.
“Hugh and Buffett were both observed initiating and mutually seeking interactions from each other throughout the day and there were no obvious signs of discomfort or distress such as listing, crunching, or active avoidance that would have triggered a need for intervention,” the aquarium lab wrote.
It is not abnormal for male manatees to have sex, according to Jenessa Gjeltema of the University of California, Davis’ School of of Veterinary Medicine.
“If there are not enough females around or there are only males around, they may express that sexual behavior on whatever individual may be in the vicinity,” Gjeltema said.
Hugh and Buffet arrived at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in 1996 after being born at the Miami Seaquarium. Both manatees have been the only of their species to to participate in “voluntary, detailed behavioral research designed to aid manatee conservation,” according to Mote.
“Hugh’s indelible and lasting legacy will be one of an invaluable contribution to the scientific understanding of manatee behavior and contributions to the conservation of of species,” Mote wrote in an announcement of the marine mammal’s death.
Hundreds of different animal species engage in homosexual behavior, according to scientists.