Monkey in Me

It's been almost two weeks since my last animal story link. Aha! But this one has some possible relevance to the The MILF Syndrome discussion going on over at lazy geisha earlier this week. Anthropolgists studying chimpanzees at the Kibale National Park in Uganda have found that male chimps really prefer older females:

bq. Male chimps compete intensively and even fight over the oldest females, while the youngest female chimps have to work harder to get masculine attention. "It's really dramatic because it's not just that the old chimps are avoiding the youngest adult females. They actually have a strong preference for the older mothers," said anthropologist Martin Muller at Boston University.

Compared to younger females, older females were more likely to be approached for copulation, associated with males more often during estrous periods, copulated more frequently with high-ranking males, and gave rise to higher rates of male-on-male aggression during mating period. "The males fight over them more," Muller said. "They don't have to do anything to get the males interested. The males find them."

Scientists believe that, once again, this behavior is linked to the males wanting to sire progeny. Unlike humans, female chimps do not go through menopause; they are fertile their entire lives. And, as they get older, the more mature females have higher social status in the chimp group, have access to more and better food, which means they are more fertile than the younger females. Researchers add:

bq. "Chimpanzee males may not find the wrinkled skin, ragged ears, irregular bald patches, and elongated nipples of their aged females as alluring as human men find the full lips and smooth complexions of young women, but they are clearly not reacting negatively to such cues."

Or maybe the sex is just better. Then again, it looks a little rushed.

Comments:

• chimp females = natural cougars?

  Posted by JeN  on  01/27/07  at  03:39 PM
  
  

• Well, I think “cougars” are female chimp wannabes. Cougars are older women, going to bars and hoping to pick up younger men. Sounds to me like the older female chimps don’t even have to make THAT much effort.

  Posted by Prospero  on  01/27/07  at  11:54 PM
  
  
Page 1 of 1 pages

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

<< Back to main