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Teichroeb JA, Fox SA, Samartino S, Wikberg EC, Sicotte P. Non-Reproductive Sexual Behavior in Wild White-Thighed Colobus Monkeys (Colobus vellerosus). ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:2295-2301. [PMID: 36849676 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02561-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Rare behaviors are often missing from published papers, hampering phylogenetic analyses. Here, we report, for the first time, masturbation and same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) in both male and female black-and-white colobus monkeys. We recorded these behaviors during 32 months of observation (1573 h of focal animal sampling) on Colobus vellerosus collected at the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana. Males were observed masturbating and involved in SSB more than females. Subadult males were the age-sex class that engaged in both of these behaviors most often and a third of all SSB observed in young males occurred when they were forming an all-male band (AMB), which are temporally transient social groups in this species. Our data support that masturbation in males may be a sexual outlet for individuals that do not have a current sexual partner, while in females it may function in mate attraction by advertising receptivity. SSB may occur as an evolutionary byproduct but given the temporal clustering of observed events in males prior to AMB formation, our data best support the hypothesis that these behaviors facilitate male-male bonding (i.e., act as social glue). Within AMB's, males engage in coalitionary behavior to take over social groups containing females and strong bonds are important for success and later access to females, which could have selected for SSB in C. vellerosus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Stephanie A Fox
- Department of Anthropology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Shelby Samartino
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Eva C Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Coutinho P, Barnett A, Cavalcanti C, MarinhoValença Y, Bezerra B. Observation of Masturbation After Visual Sexual Stimuli From Conspecifics in a Captive Male Bearded Capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus). ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:1333-1337. [PMID: 36422729 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02475-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Masturbation is part of the natural behavioral repertoire of primates, with visual sexual stimuli known to trigger this behavior. Here, we report masturbation events triggered by visual sexual stimulus (VSS) in the South American primate Sapajus libidinosus. We observed a multi-male multi-female captive colony of 17 bearded capuchins between January and October 2014. Over this period, we registered 11 copulation events, 68 attempt copulations, and five masturbation events. The same low-ranking male (named Fu) performed all masturbation events. Fu directly looked at other individuals engaged in sexual displays while he masturbated in three events. The masturbation events associated with VSS lasted up to 2 min and 40 s. Our observations show that VSS can trigger masturbation in capuchin monkeys. The low hierarchy rank of the male, and the consequent lack of mating opportunities in the multi-male multi-female recently formed group in captivity, may have prompted the masturbation events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Coutinho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Adrian Barnett
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Cynthia Cavalcanti
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Yuri MarinhoValença
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Bruna Bezerra
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil.
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Folwell MJ, Sanders KL, Brennan PLR, Crowe-Riddell JM. First evidence of hemiclitores in snakes. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221702. [PMID: 36515117 PMCID: PMC9748774 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Female genitalia are conspicuously overlooked in comparison to their male counterparts, limiting our understanding of sexual reproduction across vertebrate lineages. This study is the first complete description of the clitoris (hemiclitores) in female snakes. We describe morphological variation in size and shape (n = 9 species, 4 families) that is potentially comparable to the male intromittent organs in squamate reptiles (hemipenes). Dissection, diffusible iodine contrast-enhanced micro-CT and histology revealed that, unlike lizard hemiclitores, the snake hemiclitores are non-eversible structures. The two individual hemiclitores are separated medially by connective tissue, forming a triangular structure that extends posteriorly. Histology of the hemiclitores in Australian death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus) showed erectile tissue and strands/bundles of nerves, but no spines (as is found in male hemipenes). These histological features suggest the snake hemiclitores have functional significance in mating and definitively show that the hemiclitores are not underdeveloped hemipenes or scent glands, which have been erroneously indicated in other studies. Our discovery supports that hemiclitores have been retained across squamates and provides preliminary evidence of differences in this structure among snake species, which can be used to further understand systematics, reproductive evolution and ecology across squamate reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan J. Folwell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Kate L. Sanders
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | | | - Jenna M. Crowe-Riddell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia,School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, VIC 3086, Australia,Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Cenni C, Christie JBA, Van der Pant Y, Gunst N, Vasey PL, Wandia IN, Leca J. Do monkeys use sex toys? Evidence of stone tool‐assisted masturbation in free‐ranging long‐tailed macaques. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Cenni
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
| | | | - Yanni Van der Pant
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience University of St. Andrews St. Andrews UK
| | - Noëlle Gunst
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
| | - Paul L. Vasey
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
| | - I Nengah Wandia
- Primate Research Center Udayana University Denpasar Bali Indonesia
| | - Jean‐Baptiste Leca
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
- School of Natural and Engineering Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies Bangalore India
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Gunst N, Leca JB, Vasey PL. When males have females on their backs: Male's tolerance, solicitation, and use of female-male mounting in Japanese macaques. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23395. [PMID: 35612539 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Previous research on Japanese macaques has shown that female-to-male mounting (FMM) is performed by some females as an exaggerated form of sexual solicitation that may occur in the context of high female competition for male mates. This supernormal courtship behavior functions to prompt subsequent male-to-female mounting. In this report, we focused on the male consort partners' responses to FMM. We studied a free-ranging population of Japanese macaques at Arashiyama, Japan, in which FMM is frequent and prevalent. We analyzed 240 consortships involving 31 females and 19 males. We tested three hypotheses regarding male's tolerance, solicitation, and use of FMM. First, we found that FMM was tolerated by male mountees who were no more likely to aggress their female partners during a short time window around a FMM than they were during the rest of the consortship period. Second, we showed that FMM could be triggered by male recipients, via explicit male-to-female sexual solicitations. Third, we found that some males may utilize FMM in a quest for their own sexual stimulation, which sometimes culminated in masturbation by the male during FMM. Our findings indicate that male partners facilitate the expression of FMM both passively (via their tolerance) and actively (via their solicitation). In addition, FMM appears to enhance the sexual arousal of male partners during consortships. We argued that, for females to have expanded their repertoire of sexual solicitations by adopting FMM, male mates must have played a role in the evolutionary origins and maintenance of this nonconceptive but intense and powerful female mating tactic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noëlle Gunst
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jean-Baptiste Leca
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.,School of Natural and Engineering Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
| | - Paul L Vasey
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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