Description
The book, "Sex and Friendship in Baboons," by Barbara Smuts, discusses how social interactions between members of friendly pairs differ from those of other troop mates. Smuts found that female baboons prefer to mate with males who have previously engaged in friendly interaction with them and their offspring. This may promote male investment in other species. Smuts also explores the relevance of her findings for the evolution of male-female relationships in humans.
When it first appeared in the mid-1980s, this book transcended the traditional ethological focus on sexual interactions by analyzing male-female relationships outside the context of mating in a troop of wild baboons. Barbara Smuts used long-term friendships between males and females, documented over a two-year period, to show how social interactions between members of friendly pairs differed from those of other troop mates. Her findings, now enhanced with data from another fifteen years of field studies, suggest that the evolution of male reproductive strategies in baboons can only be understood by considering the relationship between sex and friendship: female baboons prefer to mate with males who have previously engaged in friendly interaction with them and their offspring. Smuts suggests that female choice may promote male investment in other species, and she explores the relevance of her findings for the evolution of male-female relationships in humans.
Kindly note that PriceCheck is a discovery and comparison platform. Unfortunately, we are not able to give intensive advice or reviews as we do not stock the product.
Related Products
