Loss of oestrus, concealed ovulation and paternity confusion in free-ranging Hanuman langurs

Ovarian cycles in catarrhine primates are uniquely characterized by prolonged periods of sexual activity in which the timings of ovulation and copulation do not necessarily correspond. According to current hypotheses of primate social evolution, extended sexuality in multi-male groups might represen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2001-12, Vol.268 (1484), p.2445-2451
Main Authors: Hestermann, Michael, Ziegler, Thomas, van Schaik, Carel P., Launhardt, Kristin, Winkler, Paul, Hodges, J. Keith
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Colobinae
Concealed Ovulation
Criminal solicitation
Estrus - physiology
Extended Receptivity
Female
Female animals
Human sexual behavior
Infanticide
Male
Male animals
Mating behavior
Monkeys
Ovary
Ovulation
Ovulation - physiology
Paternity
Paternity Confusion
Primates
Reproductive success
Semnopithecus entellus
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Socioendocrinology
Time Factors
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Summary:Ovarian cycles in catarrhine primates are uniquely characterized by prolonged periods of sexual activity in which the timings of ovulation and copulation do not necessarily correspond. According to current hypotheses of primate social evolution, extended sexuality in multi-male groups might represent part of a female strategy to confuse paternity in order to reduce the risk of infanticide by males. We test this hypothesis by examining mating behaviour in relation to timing of ovulation and paternity outcome in a multi-male group of free-living Hanuman langurs. Using faecal progestogen measurements, we first document that female langurs have extended receptive periods in which the timing of ovulation is highly variable. Next, we demonstrate the capacity for paternity confusion by showing that ovulation is concealed from males and that copulations progressively decline throughout the receptive phase. Finally, we demonstrate multiple paternity, and show that despite a high degree of monopolization of receptive females by the dominant male, non-dominant males father a substantial proportion of offspring. We believe that this is the first direct evidence that extended periods of sexual activity in catarrhine primates may have evolved as a female strategy to confuse paternity.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2001.1833