Individual copulatory preference and the “strange female effect” in a captive group-living male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Allen, Mel

doi:10.1007/bf02382612

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The overall averages become 0.50 attempts per hr involving the three pregnant females compared to 0.18 per hr for the seven who cycled throughout the study. Allen [1981] reported an overwhelming sexual preference for one female by her male cagemate. Similar preference was indicated in this study, during which the female, Thelma, was pregnant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Sexual behavior of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Pregnant versus cycling females

Wallis

1982

American J Primatol

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Sexual behavior was observed in fifteen female and seven male captive adult chimpanzees over a period of three months. Relative frequencies of successful and unsuccessful copulatory attempts were compared to levels of anogenital swelling and reproductive status. In addition, the data were analyzed in relation to three indicators of female primate sexuality: 1) proceptivity, indicated by female attempts a t sexual interaction; 2) attractivity, indicated by male-initiated attempts; and 3 ) receptivity, evident when a female responds positively to male initiation. The data suggest that increased level of anogenital swelling enhanced female proceptivity and attractivity, but not receptivity. Comparison of cycling vs pregnant females revealed that attractivity and receptivity increased during pregnancy, while proceptivity was relatively unchanged. The total success rate (copulationsiattempts) was 63.3% (42% for female-initiated attempts and 77% for male-initiated attempts). Pregnant females copulated at a high rate, almost double that of cycling females. Sexual activity during pregnancy and the occurrence of anogenital swelling during pregnancy are discussed in terms of female reproductive strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Sexual behavior of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Pregnant versus cycling females

Wallis

1982

American J Primatol

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“…Ejaculation could not always be determined reliably. Because the minimal interval between 2 ejaculatory copulations of the same male was 260 sec, which compares well with a finding by Allen (1981), we considered successive intromissions occurring therein to belong to the same copulation. We obtained copulation rates by dividing the number of copulation events by the number of observation hours.…”

Section: Copulation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 94%

Male Dominance Rank, Female Mate Choice and Male Mating and Reproductive Success in Captive Chimpanzees

et al. 2005

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Mating and consequently reproductive success in male vertebrates are predominantly determined by intermale competition and female mate choice.Their relative importance however, is still poorly understood. We investigated the interrelationship between male dominance rank-a formal indicator of male competitive ability-female mate choice, and male mating success in a multimale-multifemale group of captive chimpanzees. In addition, we examined the relationship between male dominance rank and reproductive success determined by genetic paternity analysis over a 13-yr period in the same captive population. We related the frequencies of sociosexual behaviors to the female anogenital swelling stage and female fertile phase as determined by urinary and fecal progestogen analysis. Rates of behaviors in both sexes increased with increasing intensity of female swelling, but they were not influenced by the timing of the fertile phase. Male mating success was clearly related to male dominance rank, with high-ranking males performing the overwhelming majority of copulations. This was mainly due to both rank-related rates of male soliciting behavior and intermale aggressiveness during the period of well-developed female anogenital swelling. Although females solicited copulations mainly from the high-ranking males and thus expressed a mate choice based on rank, their overall contribution in initiating copulations and thus influencing male mating success was low. The data on paternity from the population, which always contained 4 adult males, revealed that α-males sired the majority (65%) of offspring. We conclude, that male dominance rank is an important determinant of male mating and reproductive success in captive (and presumably wild) chimpanzees and that female mate choice is of minor importance in modulating male reproductive outcome.

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“…Social dynamics limit copulations and copulation attempts, such that only higher ranking males routinely and reliably secure mating access [Klinkova et al, 2005; Muller & Mitani, 2005; Stumpf & Boesch, 2005; Tutin, 1979]. Moreover, male behavior indicates choosiness; there are anecdotal reports of male chimpanzees refusing a female solicitation [Allen, 1981; Goodall, 1986; Keddy‐Hector, 1992; Small, 1993; Yerkes, 1939]. This suggests that males do not mate indiscriminately with any available female.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male chimpanzees' grooming rates vary by female age, parity, and fertility status

Proctor

Lambeth²,

Schapiro

et al. 2011

American J Primatol

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Copulation preferences in our closest living relative, the chimpanzee, suggest that males prefer older females who have had previous offspring. However, this finding is counter to some behavioral models, which predict that chimpanzee males, as promiscuous breeders with minimal costs to mating, should show little or no preference when choosing mating partners (e.g. should mate indiscriminately). To determine if the preferences indicated by copulations appear in other contexts, as well as how they interact, we examined how male chimpanzees' grooming patterns varied amongst females. We found that males' preferences were based on interactions among females' fertility status, age, and parity. First, grooming increased with increasing female parity. We further found an effect of the estrous cycle on grooming; when females were at the lowest point of their cycle, males preferentially groomed parous females at peak reproductive age, but during maximal tumescence, males preferred the oldest multiparous females. Nulliparous females received relatively little grooming regardless of age or fertility. Thus, male chimpanzees apparently chose grooming partners based on both female's experience and fertility, possibly indicating a two-pronged social investment strategy. Male selectivity appears to have evolved to effectively distribute costly social resources in a pattern which may increase their overall reproductive success.

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Individual copulatory preference and the “strange female effect” in a captive group-living male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

Sexual behavior of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Pregnant versus cycling females

Sexual behavior of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Pregnant versus cycling females

Male Dominance Rank, Female Mate Choice and Male Mating and Reproductive Success in Captive Chimpanzees

Male chimpanzees' grooming rates vary by female age, parity, and fertility status

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