Elliot Page narrates Second Nature: Gender & Sexuality in the Animal World, a documentary that examines decades of scientific assumptions about animal sexuality and gender behavior. According to Rolling Stone, the film features interviews with scientists who study sexual and gender diversity across species—from primates and birds to fish and reptiles.
Historically, scientists have described animal reproduction as serving only procreation, dismissed same-sex activity as anomalous, and characterized most species as male-dominated. The documentary challenges these claims, asking why such information remains absent from basic biology curricula and why human frameworks have been imposed on animal behavior.
Rolling Stone's Rachel Brodsky notes that New York City's Museum of Sex ran an exhibit on animal sexuality for a decade until 2018, suggesting the subject has been documented for years. The exhibit highlighted examples like the duck's corkscrew penis, a well-documented anatomical feature.
Second Nature: Gender & Sexuality in the Animal World examines what has been overlooked in mainstream science.
