Sexual Cyclicity in Captive Lowland Gorillas

Oppositely sexed pairs of gorillas exhibit some behavior indicative of higher cognitive functioning, such as individual partner preferences and varied copulatory positions, but also mate in a cyclic manner closely related to the degree of female genital swelling. The latter finding is contrary to pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1975-09, Vol.189 (4205), p.813-814
Main Author: Nadler, Ronald D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Apes
Biological Evolution
Chimpanzees
Copulation - physiology
Ejaculation
Female
Female animals
Gorilla gorilla - physiology
Human sexual behavior
Labial Frenum - physiology
Male
Male animals
Mating behavior
Pair Bond
Primates
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Swelling
Vocalization, Animal
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Summary:Oppositely sexed pairs of gorillas exhibit some behavior indicative of higher cognitive functioning, such as individual partner preferences and varied copulatory positions, but also mate in a cyclic manner closely related to the degree of female genital swelling. The latter finding is contrary to predictions based on their advanced position in phylogeny.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1162356