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Intense Body Contact Increases Homosexual Pair Bond Stability in Female Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)
Pia Marlena Böhm1, Lena Sophie Pflüger2,3, Katharina Elisabeth Pink4,5
1Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|January 12, 2024
Summary
Close physical contact, like huddling and embracing, strengthens same-sex bonds in Japanese macaques. This affiliative behavior, not sexual activity, predicts the stability of homosexual consortships in female macaques.
Area of Science:
- Primatology
- Ethology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) are key models for studying non-conceptive homosexual behavior.
- Same-sex consortships in macaques suggest partner preferences beyond reproductive benefits.
- The factors influencing the stability of these same-sex bonds remain an open research question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate behavioral correlates of consortship stability in female-female Japanese macaque pairs.
- To determine if sexual behavior, mutual stimulation, or affiliative behaviors influence consortship duration and recurrence.
- To understand partner preferences in promiscuous primates and variations in homosexual behavior.
Main Methods:
- Observation of a semi-free population of Japanese macaques over one mating season.
- Analysis of 40 hours of focal data specifically on female-female consortship behaviors.
- Statistical correlation of specific behaviors (grooming, sexual interactions, body contact) with consortship stability metrics (duration, reunion frequency).
Main Results:
- Forty-six percent of sexually mature females participated in homosexual interactions.
- Close body contact (huddling, embracing) significantly correlated with homosexual consortship stability.
- Frequency of sexual behaviors (mounting, rubbing, thrusting) did not significantly affect consortship stability.
Conclusions:
- Affiliative behaviors, particularly close physical contact, are crucial for maintaining stable same-sex relationships in Japanese macaques.
- Partner choice in these primates can be influenced by non-sexual, affiliative interactions.
- Findings contribute to understanding partner preferences and the diversity of homosexual behavior in macaques.
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