The sight of a male seal trying to have sex with an emperor penguin near the South Pole has attracted the attention of scientists.

“Although some mammals are known to have leisurely sex with inanimate objects – including dead ones – this appears to be the first example of such sexual behavior So. Breeding between mammals and other vertebrates such as birds, reptiles and fish, said researcher Nico de Bruyn, an expert in mammal ecology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

One summer morning, scientists observing elephant seals on the beach on Marion Island, near Antarctica, spotted a male furry seal courting a penguin. Emperor.

De Bruyn recalls : “At first we thought it was hunting penguins, but it turned out its intentions were much more amorous.”

The seal weighing nearly 108 kg wrapped around the adult penguin weighing about 13 kg by lying on top of it. The unfortunate bird continuously flapped its flippers and tried to stand up to escape but failed. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, the seal alternated between lying on top of the penguin and pressing its pelvis firmly against the bird in a futile attempt to tuck it in. penis.

In the wild, such unsuccessful lovemaking between seals of the same species might take as long as penguins do with each other, “but in this case it was quite long and therefore unusual.” , de Bruyn said.

The seal then suddenly gave up, swam out to sea and completely ignored its target. The penguins did not suffer any damage.

Antarctic fur seals on Marion Island are the only species known to eat emperor penguins. The intense chase has been recorded by scientists as having turned to sexual needs as the mating season nears its end.

De Bruyn surmised : “It seems like at first it wanted to eat the penguin, but then thought about it halfway.”

“I personally believe that aggression and sexual behavior are closer in evolution than we currently think. This is certainly true for humans,” he said.