Monkeys and humans share over 90% of the same DNA, so it’s natural to wonder if our closest animal relatives also share similarities when it comes to mating and sexuality. With over 260 species of monkeys in the world, there is a huge diversity in their mating habits and social structures.
However, some clear patterns emerge that both align with and differ from human behavior.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: While some monkeys form monogamous pair bonds and multipurpose mounting for pleasure and social bonding like humans, most species live in large multi-male groups and mate opportunistically.
Both monkey and human sexuality is flexible and influenced by social environment.
Mating Systems and Social Structures
Single male groups
In single male groups of monkeys, there is typically one dominant adult male who has exclusive mating access to multiple adult females. The alpha male defends his harem of females from rival males. Females generally exhibit sexual receptivity to the resident male.
Examples of primate species with this type of social structure include gorillas, mandrills, drills, and hamadryas baboons.
Multi-male, multi-female groups
Many monkey species like macaques, langurs, capuchins, and spider monkeys live in multi-male, multi-female groups consisting of multiple adult males and females along with their offspring. Both sexes have multiple mating partners in a breeding season.
There is generally a social dominance hierarchy among males, with dominant males having more mating opportunities.
Females initiate most sexual encounters by displaying sexual swellings and proceptivity behaviors towards preferred males. However, levels of male aggression and coercion during mating attempts vary widely between species.
For instance, research shows over 60% of matings in rhesus macaques involve aggression and control by males, while mating aggression is less common in species like Tonkean macaques and muriquis.
Monogamous pair bonds
While less common among primates, some species like Azara’s owl monkeys, California mouse lemurs, and red titi monkeys form monogamous pair bonds between a single adult male and female. Pairs mate exclusively with each other, often engage in extended bouts of social and sexual behaviors to reinforce pair bonds, and jointly raise offspring.
Researchers have observed that monogamy in primates is linked to males providing extensive infant care and carrying offspring. For example, in species like titi monkeys and gibbons, the male carries the infant most of the time.
scientists believe monogamy evolves in primates when infants require high levels of care that a single parent cannot provide alone.
Mating Behaviors
Solicitation and courtship
When it comes to finding a mate, monkeys definitely put in the effort with courtship rituals. Female monkeys may shake their bottoms, gaze longingly, or whimper to get a male’s attention. Persistent males will respond with eye contact, stroking, hugging, and even holding the female’s hand.
Some couples may groom each other to strengthen social bonds before getting intimate. This foreplay helps ensure they are compatible partners. Monkeys certainly don’t just mate spontaneously like rabbits!
Copulation
Once the mood is set, monkeys mate in a manner very similar to humans. The male will mount the female from behind for penetration and pelvic thrusting until ejaculation. The whole encounter usually lasts just a few seconds, though high-ranking males may last longer to show off their virility.
Like humans, female monkeys are unlikely to orgasm during short copulations focused on male pleasure and reproduction. Still, both male and female monkeys grimace during climax, so we know it feels good on some level!
Post-copulation behaviors
After mating concludes, male and female monkeys typically go their separate ways. However, some couples may groom each other again or rest side-by-side briefly before parting. There are no monkey cuddles or pillow talk!
In species like chimpanzees, the male may guard the female to ward off competition and ensure his paternity. He might also display his flushed scrotum or other signals of recent copulation to boast to the group about his virile prowess.
Non-reproductive sex
Occasionally, monkeys engage in sex purely for pleasure and social bonding rather than reproduction. Bonobos and Japanese macaques frequently use sexual contact like genital rubbing to diffuse tense situations. Male pairs may also have genital contact when cooperative goals align.
And female pairs do everything from vulva rubbing to deep tongue kissing – monkeys certainly don’t have hangups around homosexuality! In the end, monkeys use sex flexibly for reproduction, pleasure, and politics in ways that resonate with human behavior.
Parenting and Family Dynamics
Gestation, birth and lactation
The gestation period for monkeys varies by species, but generally lasts between 5-7 months. Most monkey species give birth to a single infant, though twins do occasionally occur. Shortly before giving birth, pregnant females distance themselves from the main troop to find a safe and secluded spot to deliver the baby.
After birth, monkeys carry their infants everywhere they go, only putting them down to feed or rest. New monkey mothers breastfeed their young, with weaning occurring around 4-8 months depending on the species.
Paternal care
Compared to humans, paternal care and involvement in raising offspring is relatively uncommon in monkeys. In most monkey societies, males play little to no role in caring for infants. However, some monogamous species like male titi monkeys and male owl monkeys do exhibit extensive paternal care.
After their mate gives birth, these devoted monkey dads carry, groom, and watch over the infant while the mother feeds. This allows the female more freedom to forage and reduces the burden of constant infant care.
Alloparenting
Alloparenting, where monkeys other than the parents help care for an infant, also occurs in some monkey troops. Older juvenile or post-reproductive female monkeys often act as “aunts” or “babysitters,” watching over and carrying other females’ offspring.
This gives the mother a chance to eat, rest, and socialize without the demands of her clinging baby. It also allows the juveniles to practice their nurturing skills. One study of vervet monkeys found that infants with “aunts” present showed better survival rates.
Juvenile development
As monkey infants grow into juveniles, they become more independent and begin interacting with other young monkeys. Juveniles spend much time playing together, developing important physical and social skills.
Things like wrestling, chasing, and mock fighting prepare them for adult interactions and roles. Their bonds formed through play also establish crucial future alliances and friends. Most young monkeys go through a gangly, awkward “teenage” phase where their limbs seem too long for their body.
But given time to fill out and mature, they will grow into competent adult troop members.
Evolutionary Drivers of Primate Mating Systems
Resource distribution
The distribution of food and other critical resources influences mating systems in primates. When resources are abundant and concentrated in large patches, primate groups tend to be larger with a single dominant breeding male controlling access to multiple females.
This polygynous system is seen in gorillas, where males compete intensely for control of high-quality fruiting trees to attract a harem of females. In contrast, when resources are sparse and unpredictable, primate groups are smaller with more monogamous pairs that cooperate in raising offspring.
This is common in gibbons, where breeding pairs work together to patrol large home ranges searching for scattered fruit trees.
Predation risk
The risk of predation has shaped social systems and mating strategies in primates. Species in open habitats with high predation pressures, like savanna baboons, form large multi-male groups for defense.
Females mate with multiple partners, possibly to confuse paternity and strengthen male-infant bonds for protection against infanticide. In low predation environments like tropical forests, primate groups are smaller with single dominant males, seen in gorillas and orangutans.
With lower infant mortality rates, dominant males can successfully monopolize breeding opportunities without needing wider female mating bonds.
Female mate choice
Females have exerted strong sexual selection pressures on males throughout primate evolution. Research shows female chimpanzees mating more with males that share meat, have high social status, and exhibit bold yet controlled aggression (Muller & Mitani, 2005).
Female macaque species preferentially mate with males with red skin and hair coloration, signaling health and dominance (Dubuc et al, 2014). Across primate taxa, female choice favors males with resources to invest and indicators of good genes, ultimately benefiting female reproductive success.
This selective pressure from choosy females has driven the evolution of male primate social status competition, cooperation, ornamentation and increased sexual dimorphism.
Conclusion
In summary, monkeys display a wide variety of mating behaviors and social structures depending on the evolutionary pressures shaping each species. While some parallels with human sexuality exist, especially among monogamous primates, there are also many stark differences driven by the environments monkeys inhabit.
By better understanding the sexuality of our close primate cousins, we can gain insight into our own evolutionary origins and the tremendous flexibility of behaviors related to reproduction and pleasure in the animal kingdom.
