Mountain gorillas - Gorilla beringei beringei - live in groups in the forests of central Africa. One group, or troop, of gorillas can have more than one male as well as several females. However, scientists believe that this has not always been the case; earlier in their evolution, mountain gorillas may have lived in troops with only one male and several females.
For the new study, researchers tracked the way male mountain gorillas interact with infants to see if their behavior is similar to other primates that live in troops with more than one male. The results show that being the biological father does not influence the way male gorillas interact with infants, suggesting that their social structure is relatively new.
"For a long time there was an assumption that monkeys and apes didn't know who their fathers were in groups with multiple males," said Dr. Stacy Rosenbaum, lead author of the study from Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago USA. "Thanks to advances in molecular genetics, we now know that's not always true. We wanted to look at how male gorillas interact with infants to see if their behavior supports this."
Primates like chimpanzees that live in troops with more than one male have a way of recognizing which infants belong to which males. For animals that live in groups with only one male this is not necessary, as the male is most likely the father of all the infants in the group. The researchers wanted to determine whether gorillas have evolved a way of recognizing their own offspring or father.
The researchers followed gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, and monitored the way the males and infants interacted. They looked at the amount of time the gorillas spent grooming each other and playing, and noted every ten minutes which gorillas were physically close to one another. They also looked at which males were dominant in the group.
The researchers analyzed more than 1500 hours of data and found that there is no evidence to suggest that gorillas recognize their own offspring or father. Instead, they found that a male gorilla's dominance or social rank had a stronger influence on its relationships with infants; alpha males tend to be more nurturing and have stronger relationships with infants in the troop. While statistically they are most likely to be the father, many infants are also sired by other males.
"When we think of a human alpha male, we have a very specific set of cultural norms that go along with that, like aggression and not being very paternal," said Dr. Rosenbaum. "In gorillas that's not the case at all; dominant males are often the biggest in the group, but they are gentle and nurturing with the infants."
During the field research, Dr. Rosenbaum and her colleagues also collected sample of urine and feces from the gorillas. They are now analyzing those samples at Lincoln Park Zoo alongside their behavioral data to see if there is a hormonal component to these behaviors.
"We want to understand more about humans' evolutionary history by watching how gorillas behave. Our goal is to learn more about primate evolution generally, and great apes are particularly interesting since they are humans' closest living relatives."
INFORMATION:
View a short video of gorilla fathers monitored by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International here:
https://vimeo.com/129438601
For more information go to: Elsevier Connect
Article details:
"Male rank, not paternity, predicts male-immature relationships in mountain gorillas, Gorilla beringei beringei" by S. Rosenbaum, J.P. Hirwa, J.B. Silk, L. Vigilant and T.S. Stoinski (doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.02.025). The article appears in Animal Behaviour, Volume 104 (June 2015), published by Elsevier.
A copy of the paper is available to credentialed journalists upon request, contact Elsevier's Newsroom at newsroom@elsevier.com or +31 20 4853564.
About Animal Behaviour
Animal Behaviour is published for the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour in collaboration with the Animal Behavior Society. First published in 1953, Animal Behaviour is a leading international publication and has wide appeal, containing critical reviews, original papers, and research articles on all aspects of animal behaviour. Growing interest in behavioural biology and the international reputation of Animal Behaviour prompted an expansion to monthly publication in 1989. Animal Behaviour continues to be the journal of choice for biologists, ethologists, psychologists, physiologists, and veterinarians with an interest in the subject.
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About the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International
Established in 1978, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is dedicated to the conservation and protection of gorillas and their habitats in Africa. It is committed to promoting continued research on the gorillas and their threatened ecosystems and to providing education about their relevance to the world. In collaboration with government agencies and other international partners, the Fossey Fund also provides assistance to local communities through education, health, training and development initiatives.
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Lincoln Park Zoo, a historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868, is dedicated to connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience. A leader in conservation science both globally and locally, the zoo exemplifies the highest quality animal care and educational outreach. The not-for-profit zoo, managed by The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, is a member-supported organization and one of the nation's only free, privately managed zoos. For more information, call +1 312 -742-2000 or visit http://www.lpzoo.org.
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