Seals mate with penguins

The sight of a male seal trying to make love with an emperor near the Antarctic penguin has entered the lens of scientists.

"Although some mammals are still known to have sexual encounters with inanimate objects - including dead ones, this seems to be the first example of mating behavior. cross between an animal and a species of other vertebrate groups such as birds, reptiles and fish, ' researcher Nico de Bruyn, a mammal expert in mammals at the University of Pretoria in South Africa said.

One summer morning, scientists were observing elephant seals on a beach on Marion Island, near Antarctica, spotted a male seal with a thick furry young man discussing a penguin. Emperor.

"At first we thought it was hunting penguins, but it turned out that its intention was much more charming," de Bruyn recalls.

The seal kept changing its position between lying on its penguin and trying to put its penis on the bird.(Photo: Livescience)

The seal weighs nearly 108 kilograms wrapped around an adult penguin weighing about 13 kg by lying above it. The unfortunate bird constantly flapped its flippers and tried to stand up to escape, but failed.

During the next 45 minutes, the seal changes its position between lying on its penguin and pressing its pelvis on the bird in a desperate attempt to put its penis in.

In nature, such unsuccessful lovemaking among species of the same seal may be as long as penguins still do together, "but in this case, it is quite long and therefore abnormal", de Bruyn said.

The seal then suddenly gave up, swam to the sea and completely ignored its goal. And the penguin does not suffer any damage.

Antarctic thick fur seals on Marion Island are the only species known to eat emperor penguin meat. The thrilling pursuit that scientists recorded turned to sexual demand, when the double season was nearing its end.

"It seems that at first it wanted to eat the penguin, and then halfway through it," de Bruyn surmised.

"I personally believe that aggression and sexual behavior are much more evolutionary intimacy than our current conception. This is certainly true for people," he said.