Use sex to compete with enemy love

Gorillas use sex to compete with rivals in the emotional battle. Even when pregnant, they try to mate with males to prevent other females from becoming pregnant.

' We found that mating behavior is one of the tricks that individual gorillas use to compete with each other to win the favor of males, ' said Diane Doran-Sheehy, a school primate. Stony Brook University (USA), spoke.

Doran-Sheehy and colleagues tracked a gorilla in the Republic of Congo in 1,147 days. This herd has 5 females and one adult male.

' We want to find out if pregnant gorillas find ways to seduce males so he doesn't get close to other girls. That competitive behavior can help us explain why people evolved into a species that almost complied with a monogamous marriage , 'Doran-Sheehy told Newcomer.

A female gorilla.(Photo: Pbase.com)

Results showed that 5 gorillas gave birth to one child for nearly 3 years and all mated with males after conception . However, they often deliberately solicit males when they see the other females in need of mating.

For example, after a female (which the team called MK) conceived, she mated with the male for three consecutive cycles of a female named EB. Another female (called UG) mates during pregnancy. It always solicits males when other children want to conceive.

The only male monkey in the herd proved unwise. Most male gorillas prefer copulation with females that are not pregnant, but this guy always prioritizes those with higher levels of mobility, regardless of whether they are pregnant or not.

That explains why pregnant women still pretend to be happy. Since the whole herd has only one male, the females must try to gain its favor to receive the care after the birth.

By delaying the pregnancy time of the competitors, the gorillas will also create an advantage in reproduction. Tara Stoinski, a primitive scholar at Atlanta Zoo in the US, discovered that female gorillas growing up in captivity also ' schedule ' rain clouds that coincide with other females' exciting times. .

' I agree with Doran-Sheehy that gorillas compete with each other to win a male, ' Stoinski said.

However, the ancestors of humans and gorillas are not the only primates to use sex to compete . Bonobo monkeys, chimpanzees, also consider copulation as a tool to attract male support and protect their offspring.

' The males are ready to kill the girls to force their mates to mate. When a chimpanzee or bonobo monkey interacts with all the males in the herd, he thinks he is the father of the child the child lays. So they won't kill young children anymore , 'explained Doran-Sheehy.