‘It’s really, really unusual’: tender bond between male donkey and bull baffles scientists

The Guardian UK Monday 02 November 2026, 16:53 UTC By Nicola Davis Science Correspondent 1 min read

Key Points

Patroclo and Achille’s interspecies affair sheds new light on social and sexual relations between animals, scientists sayIn ancient myth, Achilles and Patroclus were two Greek heroes of the Trojan war whose intense bond was believed by some to have turned into a sexual relationship. In modern science, they are a bull, Achille, and a donkey, Patroclo, whose tender interspecies affair has helped to shed new light on social and sexual interactions between animals.

Patroclo and Achille’s interspecies affair sheds new light on social and sexual relations between animals, scientists say

In ancient myth, Achilles and Patroclus were two Greek heroes of the Trojan war whose intense bond was believed by some to have turned into a sexual relationship.

In modern science, they are a bull, Achille, and a donkey, Patroclo, whose tender interspecies affair has helped to shed new light on social and sexual interactions between animals.

Patroclo (ORG) Achilles (PERSON) Greek (ORG) Achille (PERSON)

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‘It’s really, really unusual’: tender bond between male donkey and bull baffles scientists

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