Unflanged males wander widely in search of oestrous females and upon finding one, will force copulation on her, the occurrence of which is unusually high among mammals. Females prefer to mate with the fitter flanged males and seek their company for protection. Non-ovulating females do not usually resist copulation with unflanged males, as the chance of conception is low. Resident males may form consortships that last for days, weeks or months after copulation. Homosexual behaviour has been recorded in the context of both affiliative and aggressive interactions.