Strategic mate choice in Guinea baboons

A research team led by William O'Hearn from the German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research has found that female Guinea baboons court males more intensively when they show special foraging abilities. Two baboon groups in their natural habitat in Senegal and one group at Nuremberg Zoo were studied. The now published study furthers our understanding of what animals know about the skills and competences of group members and how they use that information to inform their social decisions (The Royal Society).

Males with advantages become more attractive

In the study, one male per group were taught to operate a special food box that only they could open. This allowed them to provide a valuable food source to their group. During this phase, there was a clear increase in the females' attention: they spent more time with these “specialized” males, groomed them more intensively, and behaved more aggressively towards other females in their group. Interestingly, this behavior decreased again after the food box was removed. This suggests that the females did not change their behavior based on a fundamental assessment of the male's abilities, but rather responded in the short term to the benefits they received from him.

Different reactions of males and females

While the females adapted their interaction with the specialized males, the other males in the group remained largely unimpressed. Although they also benefited from the additional food source, they did not change their behavior towards the capable male. This could indicate that in the society of Guinea baboons, males have less competition for access to food sources controlled by other males than females.

Clues to the evolution of human social behavior

The results show that Guinea baboons are pragmatic in their choice of partner. They are not guided by the long-term ability of a male, but by the direct benefit they derive from him. “Our experiment is the first to identify the type of mechanism, i.e. outcome- or competence-based, underlying skill attribution in a wild non-human primate. As such, our results provide a unique insight into the evolution of complex skill attribution in humans,” says William O'Hearn.

Preliminary tests at Nuremberg Zoo

Prior to the field work in Senegal, preliminary tests were carried out on Guinea baboons at Nuremberg Zoo. The zoo is one of the few keepers of the species in Europe and a long-standing cooperation partner of the DPZ. Zoo animals can be observed very well due to their good visibility, so that ideas for field work can be tested under controlled conditions. “The decisive factor for this study was the opportunity to work with the Guinea baboons at Nuremberg Zoo under controlled conditions. Such research approaches are not only scientifically valuable, but also enrich the animals' lives by providing them with cognitive challenges that enhance their natural abilities,” says Lorenzo von Fersen, Curator of Research and Species Conservation at the zoo. The zoo is also cooperating with the DPZ on research in Senegal. “Zoos have enormous research potential and also offer, for example, information about their individuals that is often not available in the wild, as well as expertise that is important when working in the field,” says Jörg Beckmann, biological director and deputy director of the zoo.

The German Primate Center GmbH (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research conducts biological and biomedical research on and with primates in the fields of infection research, neuroscience and primate biology. The DPZ also maintains five field stations in the tropics and is a reference and service center for all aspects of primate research. The DPZ is one of the 96 research and infrastructure facilities of the Leibniz Association.