Male Bats Perform Oral Sex on Females to Increase Duration of Copulation

A latest study claims that the fruit-eating bat, one of the largest bats in the world, performs oral sex. The researchers predict that a male bat performs oral sex with a female bat to increase the duration of copulation or possibly, sperm competition.

The researchers are surprised with this finding, because apart from humans, oral sex as a form of foreplay prior to copulation is uncommon in mammals.

The study, which was published in the journal PLOS One, carefully examined a colony of 420 Indian flying foxes, aka Pteropus giganteus, residing in a single fig tree in southern India. This species of fruit-eating bat is known to be the largest in the world.

Researchers kept a close watch on the bats for over 13 months with the help of binoculars and video cameras. During the study period, researchers observed a total of 57 copulations that included both oral sex and intercourse. Observations were made twice a month, most of which occurred in the morning.

During the breeding season, males would groom their penises in order to make it erect before approaching the females. On approaching the female, the males would lick the female's uro-genital regions, reports PLOS One. This act is referred to as cunnilingus and was done to lubricate the females.

The cunnilingus act would last for 50 seconds. For the next 10-20 seconds, the males would climb on top of the females. After that, the males would again perform cunnilingus for 94-188 seconds.

The researchers noted that longer the duration of cunnilingus before mating, longer the duration of copulation.

According to the researchers, oral sex supported sperm mobility.

They also predict that the association of cunnilingus with copulation is because of sperm competition. The male bats remove the sperms left by other males that have mated earlier with the female bat.