Gizmodo: 9 animals that masturbate

Gizmodo writer Diane Kelly has compiled a list of nine animals (other than humans) that have been caught taking a bit of alone time. This list includes squirrels, which was documented by U of M biologist Jane Waterman.

Kelly writes:

Male Cape ground squirrels masturbate at any time of the year, but dominant males do it most often, paradoxically, right after they’ve copulated. University of Manitoba biologist Jane Waterman, who first quantified this behavior, suggests that because the males and females have many mates over the breeding period, jerking off immediately after sex might keep males from picking up and spreading sexually transmitted infections.

Read the full story at Gizmodo.com.