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[Messofanego]

Like, they're learning this and replicating it (not even the same seal rapist, according to the de Bruyn et al 2014 study) only since 2006 after having been observed for more than 3 and a half decades.

Some pretty disturbing videos. They rape king penguins and then as is customary for fur seals with penguins anyway, some might eat the penguin afterwards. That goes against the hypothesis that it could be predatory relationship turning to sexual arousal.

De Bruyn et al. (2008) hypothesised that the sexual coercion event they witnessed was a result of the seal’s predatory behaviour towards the penguin being redirected into sexual arousal. But in the 2011 observation, the seal actually killed and ate the KP after sexually coercing it. In the light of new evidence, this hypothesis seems less plausible.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141117-why-seals-have-sex-with-penguins

All four known sexual incidents followed a common pattern. Each time a seal chased, captured and mounted the penguin. The seal then attempted copulation several times, lasting about five minutes each, with periods of rest in between.

Male and female penguins mate via an opening called a cloaca, and the seals are thought to have actually penetrated the penguins in some of the acts, which were caught on film by Haddad.

In three of the four recorded incidents the seal let the penguin go. But on one of the more recent occasions, the seal killed and ate the penguin after trying to mate with it.

Fur seals often catch and eat penguins on the island.

But the new observations suggest that having sex with penguins may be becoming a learned behaviour among seals on the island.

"Seals have capacity for learning - we know this from their foraging behaviour for example," explained de Bruyn.

So male seals may see each other coercing penguins, then attempt it themselves.

That might explain why the number of incidents appears to be increasing. "I genuinely think the behaviour is increasing in frequency."

But "if this is learned behaviour, we really can’t think of what the reward may be for these young males," he adds. "Other than perhaps learning that these birds are an easier target to practice their copulatory skills."

The seals were not yet old or large enough to defend harems of female seals, explained de Bruyn.

"Perhaps it is a release of sexual frustration, given the hormonal surges during seal breeding season. It is very unlikely to be failed mate recognition - i.e. the misidentification of the penguin as a female seal.

"All in all it's difficult to say really," he admits.

It's not likely these seals are confused at what they're mating with (failed mate recognition). There's no reward so they're just letting out sexual frustrations on anything, even out of their species? Or there's lots of competition with the rise of their population for access to females ("mate deprivation hypothesis") so they're picking easy targets?

Or just because they can without any negative consequence? It could be as smarter animals who go beyond their biological imperatives tend to be more capable of awful intentional behaviours to exercise their free will.

 

[DrFunk]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=934351

 

[PrimaNocta]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=934351

 

[Messofanego]

Didn't know it was posted already, my bad.