Researchers document bull-donkey relationship in Ethiopia
A Pisa team recorded 51 mountings and repeated social contact between a bull and male donkey, but says the behavior’s function is unknown.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
Researchers studying geladas in Ethiopia came across an unexpected bull donkey relationship Ethiopia case: a bull called Achille and a male donkey called Patroclo repeatedly sought each other out in a shared grazing area, according to reporting on a University of Pisa study.
The team had been carrying out fieldwork on geladas when it noticed the pair in a nearby pasture. The animals belonged to separate owners and encountered each other while grazing, UPI reported.
The researchers then documented their observations in a case study published in Current Biology. Their finding concerns one pair of animals, and the study did not establish what function the interactions served.
What did researchers see in the bull-donkey relationship?
From March 6 to March 19, the researchers recorded 51 occasions on which Achille mounted Patroclo, according to DongA Science and Popular Science. The pair were in the same pasture on only four of those days, DongA Science reported.
DongA Science and ScienceAlert, carried by Yahoo, reported that 34 of the 51 mounting events involved intromission. Patroclo did not show the avoidance or defensive reactions the team saw from another male donkey approached by Achille, according to those reports.
The observations went beyond mounting. The animals spent time close together and were seen licking, rubbing and nuzzling one another, reports said. Patroclo also appeared to present his hindquarters to Achille during some encounters, DongA Science reported.
Why did the researchers call the case unusual?
The team described the pattern as unusual because it was cross-species, repeated and selective rather than an isolated interaction. Both animals had access to other animals, including potential partners of their own species and both sexes, Popular Science reported.
Achille mounted another male donkey twice, according to DongA Science. That donkey showed avoidance and threatening behavior, including flattened ears, while reports said Patroclo did not avoid Achille.
Researchers said the pair directed much of their social contact toward each other. But they cautioned that the evidence does not show why they behaved this way, or support conclusions about the animals’ emotions or sexual orientation.
Footage described in coverage shows Achille mounting Patroclo, but the available reports do not identify a verified original video source. The study instead offers a closely observed account of a single pair, and leaves the biological or social role of their interactions open for further research.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.