NSFW Do female (non-human) animals derive sexual pleasure?

I know (domestic) cats do not. I wanna cry anytime I hear stray/feral cats outside having sex. I know it’s because of the way the penis is barbed. Poor things.

Dolphins, Bonobos, ... I know there are more. That’s just off the top of my head.

Looks like many female primates might have orgasms, according to this. I know my male goose does. He falls over screaming after masturbating with the garden hose in his pool. Undoubtedly he enjoyed himself. haha

www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-09/fyi-do-animals-have-orgasms

@Coloma Clearly – asking specifically about females though.

@cazzie So you think some species do and some don’t?

@janbb Yes, hence the article on female primates. I just tossed in the goosturbating becasue it is an amusing observation.

I’ve always wondered what the evolutionary advantage to a female orgasm is, or if the ability is just a hold over from the time of conception when the fetus is a blank mold from which all of the sex organs develop? Obviously an orgasm doesn’t affect our ability to reproduce one little bit.

I think the evolutionary advantage may have something to do with the vaginal contractions that may facilitate transporting the sperm towards the cervix. Just a hypothesis, I really don;t know, other than an incentive to have sex maybe. haha

@Coloma Got it. Thanks.

Wonder about female animals other than apes and monkeys too. @cazzie mentions dolphins. I’ve seen nature videos where big lionesses look bored out of their gourd.

@Coloma It’s a thought, but not really likely, as women get pregnant all of the time without having a climax. It just isn’t needed. But I’m glad we have it available to us for no reason!

This article in Popular Science seems to think so. They point out that all female mammals have a clitoris and the primates that have been studied do seem to have orgasmic responses consistent with the human female orgasm.

And to think I thought all the questions have already been asked on Fluther

Well, yeah, but it’s pretty much useless, really @Cruiser. It’s not needed to continue the line, and, in humans at least, female organisms were frowned upon for centuries. I mean, Jesus. Some Middle Eastern countries practice female “circumcision,” which is actually an amputation, lest a girl have any lustful thoughts.
I can imagine that in Western Societies past a woman could go her whole life without having one, and most certainly not on a regular basis, like males.

Yes, there are some species that have had no need for the development of the female pleasure response system due to lack of competition or lack of social structure. The more social the animal and complex the social structure the more discriminate the female can be. Among some birds, what we see is an adaptation for the males to attract their mate because there is plenty of choice. They have elaborate plumage or mating dance or nest building instincts. Of course, sometimes, this can go horribly wrong when a protected environment becomes invaded by a predatory species that lowers numbers so quickly that the birds or animals have no time to adapt. The poor endangered Kakapo is one such example. The male has an elaborate system to attract a mate, but the numbers are so low as to make that almost impossible at today’s numbers. They require assistance, and, thank goodness. New Zealand Natural Resources are there to help. Females seek out mates, but not always just for the ‘pleasure’ of sex. We want to pass down our genes and your mitochondria. If you want to learn more about evolutionary sexual activities in animals, may I suggest you read a book by this woman Carin Bondar . TED talks are down at the moment, but here is an article. http://blog.ted.com/carin-bondar-on-sex-in-the-animal-kingdom/

@Dutchess_III Yes, but that’s a great shame. So I don’t agree that “it’s pretty much useless”, as certainly there are many other “useful” things besides what is “needed to continue the line”. Continuing some lines may not serve the highest good at all, and if existence were just about continuing lines, it were fairly useless in itself. It’s all about perspective, and excessive orientation to survival, reproduction, dominance and evolution is one of the saddest perspectives I know of. Strangely it often comes with a sillily overconfident assertion of rectitude.

It’s certainly worth going after sometimes,just because of how it feels, but that’s about it. But it isn’t necessary for any useful thing. It’s just a fun thing.
We don’t have any other organ that serves no real purpose, except for the appendix, which did serve a purpose at one time during our evolution.
So…why?

feels sorry for the women here saying it serves no real purpose.

It feels good @cazzie. But what other purpose does it serve?

Circumcision goes both ways. The idea of taking the foreskin off (in most cultures now) is to reduce the sensitivity of the penis. Either are as horrible as the other.

Orgasm in the human female brings the semen up toward and through the cervix and thus does more to accomplish fertilisation.

@cazzie so, it is like a vaginal gag reflex?

No, it’s the reverse of a gag reflex. The reflexive muscle contractions open the cervix and bring the ejaculate toward the uterus. this is so not sexy… but.. it is biology.

^^it’s a gulp reflex?

Yes.. I guess, you could call it that.

The female human clitoris is an organ that is much larger than once was thought. It’s large and muscular and full of nerves. It’s not just a little button of skin. I don’t want to freak anyone out or mess up their visual idea of their sexual satisfaction… so I’ll stop there.

Oh… what the hell… here… Look. this is what the clitoris is in other animals and how it has developed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitoris

A male orgasm has almost everything to do with the impregnation process. It floods the cervix opening with sperm, who are self mobile. It’s a nice theory @cazzie, but totally unnecessary. If female orgasm was a necessary part of fertilization, women would have evolved to have orgasms as frequently, and easily, as males.
But it isn’t and we don’t.
It’s just a left over perk from the same bud all embryos have in common. In males it grows into a penis with lots and lots of nerve endings. In females it grows into a clitoris with, arguably, even more nerve endings per square micro-millimeter. As a result, they both lead to orgasms.

No, quite right. My mother had 9 pregnancies and never had an orgasm. But they think it has to do with how we evolved to choose a partner before all the religious monogamy got in the way. My poor Catholic mother died never having had an orgasm.

but the female orgasm does assist and in early evolutionary terms, it was important. So, perhaps you were right to compare it to our appendix. Due to loads of partner choice and generally superior health and nutrition compared to our ancient ancestors, we women are reaping the benefit of a vestigial sexual organ. Lucky us.

@Dutchess_III “But what other purpose does it serve?”

With my wife it cures a migraine headache, a rise and shine orgasm puts her in a great mood for the rest of the day, a bedtime “O” helps for a great night sleep, a nooner orgasm usually gets me out of chores the rest of the day and I can tell when she has has a self inflicted orgasm while I was at work as dinner is made when I get home! :)

Exactly, @Cruiser the nerves involved in the female human orgasm has systemic benefits. The benefits to the Vagus nerve alone is worth having an orgasm. Like I said, social structures and large choice of partners has created a very specific biological system for choosing a partner. It’s isn’t what will get you pregnant… (rape will get you pregnant), It has more to do with what human females have sought. Of course it works in the worst conditions. It also kills mothers and babies in many conditions and is still the most risky thing a woman can do with her body.

Yep. Living with female dogs, it’s quite clear that they do. My sister’s dog is a pro at rubbing up against certain things in just the right way, and the two Labradors (male and female) had a whole thing going on…it involved gentle touches in the right areas and lots of doggy grins.

@longgone Yay! Hi!

@janbb projecting rape onto animal copulation is a category error. Neither of the animals have the kind of control over themselves that is necessary for concepts like consent or moral blame to apply, whether or not they are experiencing pleasure. But even if viewed anthropomorphically, females can be observed presenting themselves or refusing partners. In dogs, e.g., “The female heat period is 21 days. She’s receptive for about 5 days.” (source)

GQ. I’ve wondered about female orgasms and anatomy in non-human animals myself but haven’t looked into it much.

@Dutchess_III and others: fertilization is not the only purpose of copulation in higher social animals, even if one only looks at it in terms of evolutionary adaptation. Copulation, and presumably female orgasm, also plays a role in pair bonding, which greatly aids the survival of parents and offspring, especially in those animals whose young require a large investment of parental care.

Can anyone say at what point in evolutionary history the clitoris and female orgasm appear? I know someone will object to talk of “higher” and “lower” animals, but you know what I mean.

Yes, I agree @Zissou. But geez. Look at the centuries we endured thinking that only bad women enjoyed sex. I doubt my own mother had an orgasm, ever. So good sex may bond a man to a woman, but a woman has other reasons for bonding.

It probably appeared very early on in our evolution @Zissou. Very early on. I’m sure the ancestor we and other great apes have in common had them.

Do girl snakes have orgasms?

@Dutchess_III My dad was 78 when he passed away and before my mom passed away last year, she told me how her and my dad played golf at least 3 times a week and they always had a side bet each game they played where whoever got the lowest handicapped score got to take top. They were fiercely competitive on the links.

“I’ve seen nature videos where big lionesses look bored out of their gourd.” I’ve seen that in me own bedroom! ;-p

@Brian1946 You sleep with lionesses? Do tell!

@janbb

It’s true, I do
I’m not lyin’ when I say that I’m Brian the lion.

I’ve also changed my profile story to reflect this alternative fact. ;-o

You’re Simba?!

Nope. I’m really Santa Claws.

I read for the part, but for some reason they thought Bert Lahr’s skeletal remains gave a better audition. ;-o

Rowwwwr. Clawed your way to the top ey Brian. lol

I’ve read before that the female orgasim could be compared to men having niples. Both males and females have them. But they are only anatomically, and physiologically “used” on the female body. (If she has offspring of course. )

@cazzie is also correct. It can improve chances of impregnation.

Most other “meanings” for female orgasims are subjective, and based on our social behavior. For instance, a female is more likely to have an orgasim if she is attracted physically to the male (or in biological terms, attracted to his DNA,which should provide a better offspring. ) So. The fickle female orgasim is a “test” of sorts, that helps the mating selection,or choice of a partner.

My ex was married before she was with me,to her high school /only lover. She told me that she only had like 3 orgasims in her life before me. It was remarkable, to me,that I seemed to know more about her body than her… To keep this tasteful, I’ll simply say that it was no longer an issue for her… And something that I enjoyed helping her with. It was her ignorance of her own anatomy, not an anatomical “problem” from mother nature.

As far as animals go, some seem to enjoy it more than others. But their instinct keeps the drive going.

As mentioned above dolphins are a good example. Their families will give “genital rubs,“as a sign of affection (yeah gross,but I didn’t design nature.) So,we can draw the conclusion that at least some animals use their sex organs for more than procreation.

Some animals even “use” recreational drugs. Some monkeys seek out certain poisonous centipedes, because when they lick them,the poison causes a hallucinagenic effect and euphoria. Others know fermented berries get them drunk.

I think sex feels good for most female animals. Regardless of whether they appear to be enjoying it,or not.

Looks like we have reached the post orgasmic resolution phase. lol

cuddle?

and a smoke. lol

@janbb Are you this excited by my dog story, or are you just happy to see me? ~