Introduction - What is sexual behavior?

Current Meanings of the Term 2: Erotic Behavior

Higher Mammals

Copulating monkeys Reproductive behavior? Rank-demonstrating and appeasing behavior? Soothing behavior? Pleasure-producing behavior?

In many higher mammals sexual behavior cannot be explained only in terms of reproduction and male-female relations. Indeed, in some instances this so-called sexual behavior could very well be described quite differently and much better as "warning behavior", "greeting behavior", "appeasing behavior", "rank-demonstrating behavior", or the like. For example, certain monkeys display an erect penis as a warning to intruders into their territory; they greet or appease higher ranking animals in their group by presenting themselves for copulation; or they demonstrate their own rank by mounting their inferiors. Therefore, when we call such behavior sexual we are purely (and selectively) descriptive and do not imply anything about its significance. We are saying only that the behavior involves some sexual response (however rudimentary). We are not saying what this response means. As a matter of fact, in some animals it may take very extensive observations to determine the meaning.