Can a Dolphin Really Commit Rape?

Nature is “red in tooth and claw,” as Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote in the poem “In Memoriam A.H.H.” In that now-famous line, Ten­nyson was considering, pre-Darwin, the apparent callousness of nature. Nature is not cruel; it is simply indifferent, and these behaviors show a disregard for other living things, rather than malice.

Humans alone are capable of cruelty, and sexual coercion and rape are immoral and criminal acts. Describing nonhuman behavior in these terms trivializes rape.

We do need to talk about dolphins, though, as their sexual behav­ior is concerning and much discussed. We