“There just giving piggy back rides kids”

The theory of evolution predicts that, in many cases, promiscuity can be a good survival strategy. By mating with as many females as possible, males maximise the number of offspring they produce, and thus their chances of passing on their genes.

By contrast, because of the high cost of reproduction, females may be extremely choosy, and only mate with the “best” male available, or with one who is willing to make a large investment, such as building her a nest. Still, some females are promiscuous, and the exhibition The Sex Lives of Animals sought to overturn these sexual stereotypes.

For many species, particularly if the breeding season is short, promiscuity is the best way to pass on your genes.

Red-sided garter snakes famously engage in what can only be described as orgies, forming large “mating balls” of writhing snakes.

Toads mate in a position called amplexus, in which the male mounts the female from behind and fertilises her eggs externally.

If competition is intense, several toads may mount the same female, a situation called “multiple amplexus”. This can result in the female being drowned, but assuming she survives, it can also result in her producing offspring by several fathers. Media reports of a frog with three heads may also have been an instance of multiple amplexus.

Promiscuous sex can also be a form of social bonding. This is most famously observed in bonobos, a kind of chimpanzee. Members of a bonobo troupe have sex with each other in pretty much every combination, and engage in a host of different sexual activities. Their societies are female-dominated and seem to be almost entirely non-violent.

via NewScience