The science of monkey business

Monkeys looking for a little monkey business have shown researchers that taking some time to get to know the ladies yields benefits with procreation. Finally, a study which supports, taking your time and getting to know each other.

Published early this month in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers spent a little time paying attention to the mating habits and preferences of a rhesus macaque population on the island of Cayo Santiago which is off the coast of Puerto Rico.

Researchers showed some male monkeys photographs of female monkeys they were familiar with. They showed two photographs: one when the female was ovulating and one when she was not. The males found the photo of the ovulating female much more interesting and spent more time looking at it. More than 80% of males picked upon the differences. When the same photos were shown to male monkey who were not from the females’ group, they did not detect any difference and showed no preference.

“The results of this study shed new light on the role that experience can play in reading others’ mating signals,” said Laurie Santos, a psychologist from Yale University who co-authored the study.

“Many primates, including humans, receive signals from individuals with whom they are familiar. How this familiarity affects how we interpret the signals we receive from others is largely unknown,” said James Higham, lead author of the study, from The University of Chicago.

Source: Yale University, MedicalNewsToday