From: jfb200@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (joseph.f.baugher)
Newsgroups: soc.singles,soc.women,soc.men
Subject: Sexual Selectivity and Barbary Macaques
Keywords: selectivity, sociobiology, complexity
Date: 28 Jul 92 02:04:18 GMT
Followup-To: soc.singles
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories -  Naperville, Illinois

People who follow the occasional debates in these  news  groups  about
the  tendency  for  women to be sexually attracted toward dominant men
might be interested in a news article which appeared in  the  July  17
issue  of  *Science*  magazine.  This article describes some work by a
group of Cornell University researchers who studied a group of Barbary
macaques living in southern France.  These studies cast doubts on some
old received notions about female sexual selectivity.

In most mating rituals in the animal world, it is usually  the  female
of  the  species that is the more choosy and fussier sex.  Ranging all
the way from fruit flies to birds, the female seems  willing  to  mate
only  with  males of high status and superior physical fitness. Such a
female  sexual  selectivity  model  has  been  used  to  explain   the
appearance of the peacock's spectacular tail, an appendage which would
otherwise appear to be a  detriment  to  his  survival.   This  female
sexual  selectivity  is said by many biologists and anthropologists to
be the prime driving force behind evolutionary change in  the  natural
world.   By  allowing  only  "superior"  males  to  be  able to become
fathers, female choice acts as a powerful  selective  agent,  allowing
these  traits  to  be  passed  on  to  succeeding  generations.   This
biological driving force may extend to primates and  perhaps  even  to
human beings--re, the constant complaints we hear from men about women
who want only guys with money and power, and the complaints from women
that all that men want is a quick roll in the hay.

The Barbary  macaque  study  seems  to  indicate  that  female  sexual
behavior  among  these  primates  may  be much more complicated than a
simple sociobiological model might indicate.  When the females were in
estrus,  they  would mate with just about any male who happened along.
Sometimes they would choose a high- status mate,  but  sometimes  they
wouldn't.    Sometimes  they  would  mate with a known male, sometimes
they would mate with a complete stranger.  The mating  process  seemed
to  be  completely  random,  certainly  much  more  so  than  a simple
deterministic model of female sexual selectivity might suggest.

The simple picture  of  female  sexual  selectivity  that  applies  to
creatures such as insects or birds may not carry over into primates or
to human beings.  The true picture of sexuality seems to be much  more
complex.

Comments?

Joe Baugher			**************************************
AT&T Bell Laboratories		*  "You see, something's going to    *
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ihlpl!jfb                   Who, me?  Speak for AT&T?  Surely you jest!	
jfb200@cbnewsd.att.com
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