"Friendships" between new mothers and adult males: adaptive benefits and determinants in wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus).

ABSTRACT: Close associations between adult males and lactating females and their dependent infants are not commonly described in non-monogamous mammals. However, such associations [sometimes called "friendships" (Smuts 1985)] are regularly observed in several primate species in which females mate with multiple males during the fertile period. The absence of mating exclusivity among "friends" suggests that males should invest little in infant care, raising questions about the adaptive significance of friendship bonds. Using data from genetic paternity analyses, patterns of behavior, and long-term demographic and reproductive records, we evaluated the extent to which friendships in four multi-male, multi-female yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus) groups in Amboseli, Kenya represent joint parenta

SUBMITTER: Nguyen N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3800164 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature