The mating call of the male koala →
Click through to listen, or if you can’t, use your imagination:
One study describes the koala’s grunting as “a long series of deep, snoring inhalations and belching exhalations.” Indeed.
Scienceline goes on to say that the males usually do the bellowing and the females judge their mating options on the depth, frequency,and length of the bellows (as opposed to, y’know…other actions). What was most interesting to me though, was the change in mating behavior of koalas in captivity:
But strange things happen to koalas in captivity. Females, who have never been observed bellowing in the wild, will start to bellow. And in captivity, koalas have been observed displaying both heterosexual and homosexual interactions – something they’ve never been observed doing in the wild. This could happen for a number of reasons – to display dominance, relieve stress, or maintain reproductive fitness – and koalas are not the only animals to display such behavior in captivity, elephants, penguins, and many primate species do too.
Ladies is bellowers too, go and brush your shoulders off.
