Little is known about sexually-oriented behaviors unrelated to reproduction in non-human mammals. Fellatio has been observed in a number of mammals, including bears, but the role and cause of this behavior remains unclear. We investigated the mechanisms and determinants of regular and persistent fellatio in two captive male brown bears, both orphaned as cubs. The roles of the males, one as the provider and the other as receiver of fellatio, never changed during the observation period. Humming vocalizations used by suckling bear cubs, were clearly audible during 18 fellatio acts, suggesting that the providing bear retained infantile behavior. To our knowledge, this constitutes the first study of this behavior in bears. Bear cubs suckle their mothers for milk, bonding, and comfort for at least the first year of their life. Orphaned bear cubs may suckle own or their sibling’s body parts as a substitute for nipples. Forced premature weaning and subsequent deprivation of proper and sufficient stimulation of the suckling reflex can result in teatsearching behavior persisting into adulthood. Our data suggest that the fellatio behavior observed in the captive bears may have emerged from frustrated suckling reflex in individuals orphaned as cubs.
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