On December 11, scientists at the University of Lethbridge in Canada published a paper revealing what appear to be sex acts between young female Japanese macaques and sika deer. The wild monkeys were observed mounting the deer in Minoo, central Japan. Similar monkey-deer interactions on Yakushima Island were reported in January But while the previous research is based on anecdotal evidence, the current work focuses on the numbers. According to the team, which also consists of researchers Paul Vasey and Jean-Baptiste Leca , this paper is the first quantitative study of sexual interactions between a non-human primate and a non-primate species. Wild Japanese macaques have long been known to ride sika deer.

Mating behavior in Macaca arctoides has several features unique to the macaques. This pattern behaviorally accentuates some of the physiological aspects of coitus. Consequently, they can be more easily observed than in any of the other macaques. Homosexual encounters were numerous.

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