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Chimpanzee masturbates using plastic bottle in a first caught in NSFW video

A pair of researchers were observing a troop of 19 chimps in 2018 when one of the subadult males started 'masturbating' with a bottle

WARNING: NSFW CONTENT

In what scientists believe is the first time that an ape has been seen using a man-made sex toy, a chimpanzee in the wild was caught on camera pleasuring himself with a plastic bottle. The incident took place in Bulindi, Uganda, where a male chimpanzee named Araali was spotted putting a discarded bottle on his private parts and "thrusting" into it, according to a research paper. 

Researchers Matthew McLennan and Kim van Dijk even wrote a paper on it, posting their findings on Twitter this month. They added that "this is a paper I never thought we'd write." According to their research, the bottle in question contained herbicide and was most likely thrown away by a farmer. The pair were observing a troop of 19 chimps in 2018 when one of the subadult males started "masturbating" with the bottle. "For 25 seconds he made pelvic thrusting movements into the bottle, which he had positioned flat on the ground in front of him," the paper said. It continued: "'At times he showed a relaxed open-mouth expression or a 'play face.'"

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The academics belonging to Oxford Brookes University, University of Exeter, and Utrecht University noted that at one point the chimpanzee's genitals slipped out of the bottle before he "reinserted" it.

"For the remaining eight seconds of the recording, Araali sat with a play face, apparently with his penis still inside the bottle," the paper says. The ape never reached a climax and soon lost interest in the bottle. The bottle was then picked up by some of the other chimpanzees in the area who started playing with it before losing interest themselves. 

According to the researchers, masturbation is more commonly seen in captive chimps due to stress or lack of mates. However, they said that they have seen wild apes pleasure themselves while "fumbling" with their private parts. While male chimpanzees have been seen using fruit or smooth stones to masturbate in the past, this was the first time a man-made object has been used. As to why Araali felt safe using a bottle was because he lives near humans and is familiar with man-made objects. The experts believe that most other apes would show no interest in such objects. 

Speaking of the chimp's motives, the paper says: "The physical properties of the open bottle presumably elicited Araali’s autoerotic response, suggesting he recognized its suitability for that purpose. Considering he exhibited a play face while 'copulating' with the bottle indicates his masturbatory behaviour was 'pleasurable' or 'fun.' This unusual observation raises questions about the function of masturbation in male chimpanzees. It contributes to an understanding of the range in behavioural responses of wild apes to novel objects."

Gorillas perform oral sex at Bronx zoo

Last week we reported how a pair of gorillas were filmed performing oral sex in front of shocked zoo-goers. A clip of the NSFW scene went viral on social media. Animal experts, however, explained that it's completely normal for primates to exhibit such behavior. “I was shocked and had no idea that was a ‘natural’ act,” the person who filmed the viral clip told New York Post on condition of anonymity.

He was visiting the iconic New York City zoo with his family. “I was in the gorilla exhibit with my 4-year-old daughter and niece,” he said. “My wife had to stay out of the exhibit with my sleeping son, so I wanted to capture a lot of video. Then this magic happened.”

Footage obtained by the Post showed one of the simians servicing his partner as they were splayed out on the ground in front of tens of shocked onlookers, some of whom turned their children away from the scene. "Oh no! Oh my God!" one visitor exclaimed in disbelief, telling his child, "Don't look!" Children at the zoo shared an innocent giggle after seeing their parents covering their faces.