states and territories regarded bestiality as a felony or its equivalent. Historically, taboos against human-animal contact have been quite severe. For both males and females, sexual encounters with animals were most likely to have occurred before puberty, and to have been sporadic encounters with little consequence on sexual development. Coitus was the most common sexual activity, usually with animals, such as calves, sheep, and burros. Male sexual contact with animals was more common among rural farm dwellers than urban men. In Morton Hunt's study (1974) 4.9 percent of men brought themselves to orgasm with animal contact. Male animal contact is believed to be more common, although the total percentages still remain quite low. Eight percent of men brought themselves to orgasm with an animal.Female intercourse with an animal was rarely reported.For women, the animals involved were most commonly dogs and cats, and the sexual activities most often reported were general body contacts with the animals, and cunnilingus performed by animals.Eight percent of men and four percent of women reported having had a sexual experience with animals at some point in their lives.After conducting 6000 exhaustive interviews with participants on their sexual histories, Kinsey published his findings in 1953, which included this data on zoophilia: In either case, the frequency of human-animal sexual contact is believed to be low, and is believed to have decreased along with the decline in rural farm areas in the U.S.Īlfred Kinsey's comprehensive (though dated) studies of sexuality are some of the only data we have on bestiality. The research that does exist suggests that most people who have sex with animals are men, but there have been some documented cases of women caressing and stimulating animals in an attempt to insert the penis of a dog or horse into their vagina. We humans see ourselves in animals animals do not see themselves in humans." That said, consider this quote from poet Octavio Paz in his essay At Table and In Bed, on the nature of sexuality, "Eroticism is a representation, a ceremony of transfiguration: men and women make love like lions, eagles, doves, or praying mantises neither lions nor praying mantises make love like human beings. Humans have enjoyed rich sexual fantasies throughout the ages, sometimes including the fantastic and the unreal. Greek and Roman mythology have portrayed females having sexual relationships with bears, apes, bulls, goats, horses, wolves, snakes, and crocodiles. William Butler Yeats used this story as background for a famous poem. A good example is the story of Zeus, who in the form of a swan, had sexual intercourse with Leda, the queen of Sparta. Tales of human-animal sexual contact can be found throughout ancient folklore and mythology. Human relationships with animals have been a topic of interest for people for hundreds of years. For more information, see the related Q&As. Contact with animals can put the person at risk for worms, fleas, ticks, salmonella, campylobacteriosis, scabies, and possibly viruses. Zoophilia is sometimes distinguished from bestiality as incorporating a relationship or emotional attachment with an animal, in addition to sexual contact.Īlthough data is scarce, we do know that having sex with animals may transmit infections. Humans having sex with animals, otherwise called bestiality or zoophilia, is believed to be fairly uncommon, but because of the stigmatization associated with this behavior, research and data is limited.