Ugandan chimpanzees hungry for sex
LONDON, Wednesday - Female chimpanzees are hungry for sex with as many males as possible, and keep their mouths shut about it to boost their chances of luring the top chimps, a British university said yesterday.
LONDON, Wednesday - Female chimpanzees are hungry for sex with as many males as possible, and keep their mouths shut about it to boost their chances of luring the top chimps, a British university said yesterday.
Scientists at the University of St. Andrews studied the copulation calls — sounds they sometimes make during mating — of female chimpanzees in Uganda to find out more about what they mean.
The Scottish institution’s team concluded that female chimps sometimes keep quiet during sex so their female rivals do not find out what they have been up to.
Evolutionary psychologists Simon Townsend and Klaus Zuberbuhler studied chimp behaviour in Uganda’s Budongo Forest over 16 months.
The team established that female chimpanzees hid their sexual activity when high-ranking females were nearby, perhaps in a bid to reduce competition for good quality males. This could prevent higher-ranking female chimpanzees from turning on them.
They also found the females produced more copulation calls when high-ranking males were around to attract them to have sex. The scientists believe that having sex with several males causes confusion among the male chimpanzees as to which one sired the offspring. The males are therefore less likely to kill any babies that might be theirs.
The study found no evidence that males were competing to have sex with females after they produced copulation calls, and no link between a female’s fertility and her use of the calls.
“Chimpanzee females adjusted their calling behaviour in flexible ways, potentially to avoid aggression from other females and possibly to secure future benefits from the socially important males,†the study said.
“Competition between females can be dangerously high in wild chimpanzees. These females use their copulation calls in highly tactical ways to minimise the risks associated with such competition.â€
Scientists at the University of St. Andrews studied the copulation calls — sounds they sometimes make during mating — of female chimpanzees in Uganda to find out more about what they mean.
The Scottish institution’s team concluded that female chimps sometimes keep quiet during sex so their female rivals do not find out what they have been up to.
Evolutionary psychologists Simon Townsend and Klaus Zuberbuhler studied chimp behaviour in Uganda’s Budongo Forest over 16 months.
The team established that female chimpanzees hid their sexual activity when high-ranking females were nearby, perhaps in a bid to reduce competition for good quality males. This could prevent higher-ranking female chimpanzees from turning on them.
They also found the females produced more copulation calls when high-ranking males were around to attract them to have sex. The scientists believe that having sex with several males causes confusion among the male chimpanzees as to which one sired the offspring. The males are therefore less likely to kill any babies that might be theirs.
The study found no evidence that males were competing to have sex with females after they produced copulation calls, and no link between a female’s fertility and her use of the calls.
“Chimpanzee females adjusted their calling behaviour in flexible ways, potentially to avoid aggression from other females and possibly to secure future benefits from the socially important males,†the study said.
“Competition between females can be dangerously high in wild chimpanzees. These females use their copulation calls in highly tactical ways to minimise the risks associated with such competition.â€