Inter-group variation in non-conceptive sexual activity in female Japanese macaques: could it be cultural?

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dc.contributor.authorLeca, Jean-Baptiste
dc.contributor.authorGunst, Noelle
dc.contributor.authorCarrier, Lydia Ottenheimer
dc.contributor.authorVasey, Paul L.
dc.date.accessioned2018-06-26T19:33:46Z
dc.date.available2018-06-26T19:33:46Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.descriptionOpen access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.en_US
dc.description.abstractWe compared two non-conceptive sexual behavioral patterns (female-male mounting – FMM – and female-female mounting – FFM) across four free-ranging groups of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) living at three different field sites in Japan (Arashiyama, Minoo, and Jigokudani). We found marked inter-group differences and covariation in the frequency and form of FMM and FFM. This result supports the view that FMM and FFM in Japanese macaques are developmentally and evolutionarily linked. The customary occurrence, high prevalence, and great diversity of FMM and FFM at Arashiyama may be the result of combined favorable socio-demographic conditions, namely few resident males, most of them being old, sexually under-motivated, and less aggressive and controlling than the average male Japanese macaques. We suggest that FMM and FFM may be cultural sexual practices in the Arashiyama-E group. In most other populations, all the aforementioned favorable sociodemographic conditions are not met, and although female mounting may occasionally be expressed by several group members, it does not reach the group-level tradition status. Our cultural interpretation of female mounting in Japanese macaques is consistent with evidence of the social transmission of courtship behaviors and mating preferences in various animal taxa, including nonhuman primates and humans. Our study may have implications for the evolution of non-conceptive sexuality in humans, including sexual fluidity in women.en_US
dc.description.peer-reviewYesen_US
dc.identifier.citationLeca, J-B., Gunst, N., Carrier, L. O., & Vasey, P. L. (2014). Inter-group variation in non-conceptive sexual activity in female Japanese macaques: Could it be cultural? Animal Behavior and Cognition, 1(3), 387-409. doi:10.12966/abc.08.12.2014en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/5136
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherSciknow Publications Ltd.en_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychologyen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridgeen_US
dc.subjectFemale-male mountingen_US
dc.subjectFemale-female mountingen_US
dc.subjectMale senescenceen_US
dc.subjectSex ratioen_US
dc.subjectSexual coercionen_US
dc.subjectSexual harassmenten_US
dc.subjectCultural zoneen_US
dc.subjectPrimatesen_US
dc.subjectSexual behavior patterns
dc.subjectCultural sexual patterns
dc.subjectNon-conceptive sexuality
dc.subject.lcshJapanese macaque--Sexual behavior--Japan
dc.subject.lcshSexual behavior in animals
dc.subject.lcshSocial behavior in animals
dc.titleInter-group variation in non-conceptive sexual activity in female Japanese macaques: could it be cultural?en_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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Leca, Jean-Baptiste
Gunst, Noelle
Vasey, Paul