Social behaviour in primates is something that we can all experience as primates ourselves. However, studies into the field have been limited, with no PhDs awarded for research into the social behaviour of primates until the 1960s (Mitani et al., 2012). In discovering the common evolutionary characteristics of it, it was important to consider the social patterns of lemurs. Due to the geographic isolation of lemurs on the island of Madagascar, this prosimian family of Lemuroidea was able to undergo adaptive radiation to fill the niches usually taken up by simians (primates with characteristics deemed to be less primitive, such as monkeys and apes). Therefore, studying the social patterns of lemurs enabled the observation of the most basic social
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The vast majority of individuals remain in the same troop throughout their lives. Lemuroidea follow the same structure, however, there are differences in the exact structure and size of troops between lemur species. One species, Propithecus, lives in small troops of two to ten members in no apparent dominance order, with each troop controlling an area of forest of approximately half a kilometre squared on average. These troops are extremely stable, with most of the population flow due to births and deaths. These small groups are perhaps due to the peaceful nature of the species compared to other, more aggressive species of lemur, such as Lemur catta. The importance of the troop for this species is for effective avoidance of predators; there is evidence for lemurs gauging the potential danger from the reactions of other members of their troop as much as from environmental stimuli. Furthermore, the lemur learns about objects in its environment through imitating the reactions of others in its troop. Considering the low levels of lemur and other prosimian interaction with inanimate objects, giving it a low standing in traditional, manipulation-based measures of primate intelligence, this is especially important, as this suggests that the first way in which primates learnt about objects was through social means, rather than through direct …show more content…
In male Guinea baboons, males form strong bonds regardless of whether they are related or not, and group themselves together with their particular females (as they follow a polygynous social structure). By using theoretical models of evolution, it has been determined that geographical clustering of individuals within a species is selected for. These bonds are believed to be important in fending off challengers for mates, as this carries an advantage in enabling as high a proportion of the males in a social group to reproduce. However, it has not yet been determined whether females prefer males with a higher tendency to co-operate; this is a subject of ongoing research (Patzelt et al.,
The vast majority of individuals remain in the same troop throughout their lives. Lemuroidea follow the same structure, however, there are differences in the exact structure and size of troops between lemur species. One species, Propithecus, lives in small troops of two to ten members in no apparent dominance order, with each troop controlling an area of forest of approximately half a kilometre squared on average. These troops are extremely stable, with most of the population flow due to births and deaths. These small groups are perhaps due to the peaceful nature of the species compared to other, more aggressive species of lemur, such as Lemur catta. The importance of the troop for this species is for effective avoidance of predators; there is evidence for lemurs gauging the potential danger from the reactions of other members of their troop as much as from environmental stimuli. Furthermore, the lemur learns about objects in its environment through imitating the reactions of others in its troop. Considering the low levels of lemur and other prosimian interaction with inanimate objects, giving it a low standing in traditional, manipulation-based measures of primate intelligence, this is especially important, as this suggests that the first way in which primates learnt about objects was through social means, rather than through direct …show more content…
In male Guinea baboons, males form strong bonds regardless of whether they are related or not, and group themselves together with their particular females (as they follow a polygynous social structure). By using theoretical models of evolution, it has been determined that geographical clustering of individuals within a species is selected for. These bonds are believed to be important in fending off challengers for mates, as this carries an advantage in enabling as high a proportion of the males in a social group to reproduce. However, it has not yet been determined whether females prefer males with a higher tendency to co-operate; this is a subject of ongoing research (Patzelt et al.,