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Female monkeys favor brave warriors
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FEMALE vervet monkeys manipulate males into fighting battles by lavishing attention on brave soldiers while giving noncombatants the cold shoulder, researchers say.
After a skirmish with a rival gang, usually over food, females would groom males that had fought hardest, while snapping at those that abstained.
When the next battle came along, both those singled out for attention and those aggressively shunned would participate more vigorously in combat, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B yesterday.
Female grooming and aggression “both appear to function as social incentives that promote male participation in intergroup fights,” a research team from Switzerland and South Africa reported. They had observed four vervet monkey groups at a game reserve in South Africa for two years.
Vervet monkeys live in mixed-gender groups and both sexes take part in frequent battles with rival troupes. Only a handful fight each time. Success in battle ensures control over territory and food sources.
But why would males risk involvement in a potentially high-stakes battle just for a bit of female attention?
“Receiving punishment” from females for not taking part in battles “could damage the ... male’s social relationship(s)” either with the female in question or “other female group members,” the study said.
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