Sex and friendship in a multilevel society: behavioural patterns and associations between female and male Guinea baboons.

ABSTRACT: One key question in social evolution is the identification of factors that promote the formation and maintenance of stable bonds between females and males beyond the mating context. Baboons lend themselves to examine this question, as they vary in social organisation and male-female association patterns. We report the results from the first systematic observations of individually identified wild female Guinea baboons. Guinea baboons live in a multilevel society with female-biased dispersal. Although several males could be found within 5 m of females, each female chiefly associated with one "primary" male at the 2 m distance. Social interactions occurred predominantly with the primary male, and female reproductive state had little influence on interaction patterns. The number of females per

SUBMITTER: Goffe AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4748025 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature