Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats
Published on: January 18, 2013
Social Scientific Analysis of Human-Animal Sexual Interactions
José María Valcuende Del Río1, Rafael Cáceres-Feria1
1Departamento de Antropología Social, Psicología Básica y Salud Pública, Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Abstract:
An ontological shift has led to a revitalisation of the research area that, within the social sciences, deals with the interactions between humans and animals. However, there are topics which are still taboo: interspecies sexuality. Sexual practices between humans and animals have been fundamentally analysed from a medical perspective, failing to consider the influence of cultural context. Departing from a thorough bibliographical revision, here we revise the approaches that, both from sociology and anthropology, have been used to analyse this phenomenon from different perspectives, including bestiality, zoophilia, and zoosexuality.
Related Concept Videos
Relationship Formation
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
Impact of Individuals on Individuals
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences

