How do lemurs avoid inbreeding?

A new study found that the tiny gray rat lemur living in Madagascar island can avoid inbreeding by recognizing the familiar sound of their family members.

In the past, scientists have found that animals that live in complex populations can recognize the sound of the family members, especially the sounds of their children. Even female goats can remember very long the cry of the goat.

However, the scientific community still knows very little about how animals can recognize their father's cries and the cries of inbreeding individuals belonging to the father's family. Similarly, researchers also know very little about how solitary animals avoid inbreeding.

The ability to recognize familiar sounds helps gibbons
fox avoid inbreeding. (Photo: Livescience)

For the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) , an animal that is raised mainly by the mother without the help of her father, when she grows up she herself lives alone. A male lemur usually works on a large scale, they often meet their daughters. But to avoid inbreeding, these primates have developed some special abilities.

Through testing for 10 adult female lemurs to hear the mating call of males, researchers at Arizona State University Sharon Kessler recorded their reactions. The results showed that the females who heard the cry from the male were their father or unrelated to the bloodline, having different reactions.

Specifically, females who hear the sounds of males are not related to bloodline, they will approach faster, sooner and become more animated. Whereas females who hear sounds from males are their fathers often react more slowly and want to detect the source of the sound.

Explaining this phenomenon, the researchers said that the ability to recognize male chirping is related in gray lemurs, not because of its large brain structure or because of a fledgling life. complex piano. In fact, this ability may have formed earlier in evolutionary history.