So why are these behaviours relatively unexplored and unexplained? Homosexuality was observed in animals as early as 1911, and was recognised as a “basic mammalian capacity” by 1951, yet work in the area seems to be limited, even now.

It's easy to attribute this to social and cultural aversions; homosexuality is sometimes termed an ‘unnatural’ behaviour by political and religious groups, so it's likely that these views previously blinded people to the behaviour occurring in animal systems.

Indeed, even today, starting purely scientific conversations about homosexual behaviours in non-human animals can be incredibly difficult. Research on an animal may be extrapolated by the media and lobby groups and inaccurately applied to human sexuality.

This works both ways. The liberal media may anthropomorphise a male-male penguin couple with a pro-gay marriage ethos in mind. On the other hand, conservatives may use research showing that social experience or ‘gene misexpression’ can trigger homosexuality to delegitimise human homosexuality. Both parties can use objective research to justify emotional or political tirades that often only act to fuel stereotypes.

This complex and emotive societal issue may have discouraged researchers from exploring homosexual behaviours in the past – or, at the very least, discouraged them from publicising it. Even today, the controversy, combined with the power of social media, causes issues for researchers; but it can also provide a chance to educate the public.

“[The controversy] draws in a larger audience which is great, but it also has the potential to be sensationalised," said Lindsay Young, Vice President and Executive Director of Pacific Rim Conservation. "Despite this, it presents an exceptionally compelling opportunity to convey the message that same-sex behaviour can be viewed scientifically, without a social or political agenda, and to be clear about the limitations of extrapolating from animal to human behaviour.”