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ScienceQuiet 5d · day 6

Scientists document rare bull-donkey sexual bond in Ethiopia

A Current Biology study on "Achille" the bull and "Patroclo" the donkey describes a sustained, apparently affectionate cross-species sexual relationship.

newest coverage 5d agosummary written 5d ago28 pieces42 likes & upvotes5 comments NewswiresGoogle NewsMastodonHacker NewsReddit

What to know

  • A Current Biology study documents a sustained sexual and social bond between a bull (Achille) and a male donkey (Patroclo) sharing an Ethiopian pasture, with 51 recorded mountings in four days.
  • Researchers say the behavior involves mutual seeking-out, licking and rubbing before and after mounting, with no indication of force, unlike typical cases of interspecies 'reproductive interference'.
  • The pair were found by accident by a research team originally studying geladas, and local herders were already familiar with the relationship.
  • Scientists caution against calling it an absolute first, framing it within a growing body of research showing same-sex and cross-species sexual behavior in animals has been historically underreported.

“We saw on several occasions what might have been semen from the bull, or he might have been orgasming, although we cannot verify [that] completely,”

André da Cruz, PhD student, University of Pisa · The Guardian ↗ · Nov 1

Elisabetta Palagi Evolutionary biologist, University of PisaAndré da Cruz PhD student, University of PisaAchille The bullPatroclo The male donkey

Scientists document rare bull-donkey sexual bond in Ethiopia
theguardian.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 16 pieces in two hours at Nov 2, 10 AM; 28 pieces over 6 days (15 articles · 13 posts) Nov 2, 10 AM — 16 pieces · 14 articles · 2 posts — Google News 8, Newswires 5, Mastodon 3Nov 2, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 2, 2 PM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Hacker News 1, Mastodon 1Nov 2, 4 PM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Hacker News 1, Mastodon 1Nov 2, 6 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 10 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 1, Reddit 1Nov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 10 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Nov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 10 AM — quietToday, 12 PM — quiet 1–3
Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6yesterdaynow · 1:10 PM ET
  1. 3

    Social media users embrace the story as welcome light news

    Posts sharing the Guardian article circulate on Mastodon, with users framing it as a charming, low-stakes piece of science reporting.

    “Look, it's just a really nice little article. Let me have this, okay?”
    — @stevegis_ssg
    • stevegis_ssg

      Look, it's just a really nice little article. Let me have this, okay? https://www. theguardian.com/science/2026/n ov/02/tender-bond-male-donkey-bull-baffles-scientists

      stevegis_ssgMastodon5d ago14▲view on Mastodon ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
    • RadicalAnthro@c.im

      'Sexual behaviour between different species is rarer, but it is not unheard of... 'What makes Achille and Patroclo particularly interesting is that they combine sexual activity with apparent affection and a preference for each other.' https:// theconversation.com/when-a-bul…

      RadicalAnthro@c.imMastodon3d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    • amyfou@lingo.lol

      Great news, everyone! Achille the bull and Petroclo the donkey are friends with benefits, and they're both fine with it, and good for them, let's not impose our weird human hangups on these sweethearts This is wholesome. https://www. theguardian.com/science/2026/n ov/02/tender-bond-male-donkey-bull-baffles-scientists # animals # bull # donkey #…

      amyfou@lingo.lolMastodon5d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 2

    Palagi and da Cruz describe the bond as a 'special relationship'

    In interviews with the Guardian, co-authors Elisabetta Palagi and André da Cruz say the animals actively sought each other out, with licking and rubbing continuing before and after mounting, and no sign of force or dominance.

    “It is really, really unusual,…”
    — Elisabetta Palagi
  3. 1

    Defector details how researchers stumbled on the pair

    Defector reports the relationship was first spotted by Palagi's students while they were studying geladas nearby, and situates the finding within a broader, growing body of research on underreported same-sex and cross-species sexual behavior in animals.

    “What was an unexpected observation for us was evidently a familiar sight to them,…”
    — Elisabetta Palagi
  4. background

    Current Biology publishes study on the bull-donkey bond — Elisabetta Palagi's team at the University of Pisa publishes a paper describing an ongoing sexual relationship between a bull, Achille, and a male donkey, Patroclo, who share a grazing pasture in Ethiopia, recording 51 mountings over four days of observation.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 4 outlets An unusual sexual bond between a bull and a male donkey

    first by Phys.org, 6d ago · also ScienceAlert, Mirage News, EurekAlert!

    2 more headlines
  2. 3 outlets ‘It’s really, really unusual’: tender bond between male donkey and bull baffles scientists

    first by The Guardian, 6d ago · also Guardian Environment, Guardian Science

and 4 smaller pieces

What people are saying 2 voices from 1 site · best of 5 · verbatim