Dominance, Coloration, and Social and Sexual Behavior in Male Drills Mandrillus leucophaeus
Sexual selection has driven the evolution and elaboration of a wide variety of displays and ornaments in male nonhuman primates, including capes, cheek flanges, and sexual coloration. Among the most sexually dimorphic of all primates is the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), the males of which can be 3 times the mass of females, possess large canines, […]
Patterns of injury in zoo-housed spider monkeys: A problem with males?
Aggression among wild spider monkeys is most frequently reported to occur between the sexes, with adult males directing aggression towards adult females and the aggression is normally non-injurious. After two severe instances of aggression in the group of spider monkeys housed at Chester Zoo, we developed a questionnaire to investigate the frequency, direction and possible […]
Mate choice in non-human primates
Mate choice has been observed in many species of non-human primates. There are few definitive studies, however, due to the long life spans, complex social behavior, and cognitive abilities of these animals. Here I review the current literature on mate choice in primates. Females typically prefer complex behavioral traits such as social status, familiarity, personality, […]
Evaluating the costs of a sexually selected weapon: big horns at a small price
A major assumption of sexual selection theory is that ornaments and weapons are costly. Such costs should maintain the reliability of ornaments and weapons as indicators of male quality, and therefore explain why choosy females and rival males pay attention to these traits. However, honest signalling may not depend on costs if the penalty for […]
Scent marking increases male reproductive success in wild house mice
Scent marking is often assumed to be a secondary sexual trait that increases males’ mating and reproductive success, although direct evidence for this hypothesis is lacking. We conducted a study with wild-derived house mice, Mus musculus musculus, to test whether scent marking increases males’ reproductive success when females can freely choose between two territorial males. […]