A scientist has observed homosexual behavior in wild orangutans for the first time, adding the great apes to the long list of animals that take part in same-sex encounters.

Their encounters were short-lived, but mimicked many of the rituals of male-female mating. Homosexual behavior has been observed in almost every species of animal including dolphins, hedgehogs, kangaroos, sheep, whales, albatrosses, chimpanzees and gorillas.

Orangutans, the only great apes native to Asia, are largely solitary. Males and females live separate lives and normally interact only when the females are ready to mate. During her long- term study, Dr. Fox observed only four homosexual orangutans suggesting that the behavior is rare.

All four were males, two of them sexually mature, and two adolescents. The male adolescents took part in playful intimate sexual behavior several times over a couple of days, she said. The older couple had just one sexual encounter.

Previously, homosexual behavior had been witnessed only among captive orangutans or rehabilitated animals that had been in close contact with people.

Dr. Fox published her observations in the American Journal of Primatology.

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