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Evolution of sexual orientation

Drivers of same-sex sexual behaviour

A clade-wide study of non-human primates shows that same-sex sexual behaviour typically appears in long-lived, sexually dimorphic species with complex social structures that experience predation, resource scarcity or environmental challenge.

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Fig. 1: Ecology, life history and social factors linked to same-sex sexual behaviours in primates.

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Correspondence to Isabelle C. Winder.

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Winder, I.C. Drivers of same-sex sexual behaviour. Nat Ecol Evol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02940-z

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