Sociosexual behavior

Sociosexual behavior

We have reviewed sexual behavior and the sexual response. We now want to take a developmental and social perspective on sexuality. Specifically, we want to cover
Sociosexual behavior Case study in sociosexual behavior: Bonobos Sexual behavior development Autoerotic behavior Homosexual behavior

Sociosexual behavior

Lord Solly Zuckerman was an interesting individual who was both a zoologist and war advisor. In his 1932 book The Social Lives of Monkeys and Apes, he observed that some monkeys do not confine their use of sexual positions/patterns to copulatory contexts.

Sociosexual behavior

Zuckerman was echoing Darwin, and the study of primate sociosexual behavior was launched.
Sociosexual behavior is the use of motor patterns that are normally associated with sexual activity in non-sexual contexts

Sociosexual behavior

Motor patterns can include mounting behaviors, proceptive behaviors, and other sexual behaviors.

These patterns, in a sociosexual context, can be used to deter aggression, to socially greet conspecifics, and to reinforce rank-related interactions
They can be same-sex or between males/females

Sociosexual behavior

Male-male double foot-clasp mounting in baboons (A) and macaques (B)

Mutual genital presentation in male stump-tail macaques (C) and oro-genital contact male stump-tail macques (D)

Sociosexual behavior

Female-female footclasp mount in Macaca nigra (A)

Piggy back mount in female stump-tail macaques (B)

Sociosexual behavior

Female stumptail macaques

Same-sex mounting is sometimes known as iso-sexual mounting

(likely because homosexual mounting has too much unintended cultural meaning)

Male Tibetan macaques

Male baboons

Sociosexual behavior
Oral contact (kissing) in tamarins and bonobos

Sociosexual behavior

The major problem in studying sociosexual behaviors is that sometimes the behaviors occur between an adult male and an adult female is this a sociosexual behavior or a sexual behavior?
For this reason, the majority of sociosexual behaviors focus on same-sex interactions or juveniles

Sociosexual behavior

Zuckerman and others attributed sociosexual behaviors, particularly mounting behavior, as a way to reinforce dominance status.
However, this view is probably too narrow.

Sociosexual behaviors are deployed in a variety of contexts

Sociosexual behavior
Sociosexual behavior occurs in various contexts: Reinforce social position/dominance Conflict management Tension reduction Reinforce social bonds

Sociosexual behavior
In studies of sociosexual behaviors, mounting is equated with dominance, while presenting or being mounted is equated with submissiveness

female macaque presenting to a dominant male

Sociosexual behavior
Loser or Subordinate

Dominant animals have been observed to mount subordinate animals during interactions

Winner or Dominant

Sociosexual behavior
No correlation between high rank and mounters Cercopithecus aethiops Cercocebus atys Theropithecus gelada Macaca nemestrina Macaca fascicularis Macaca nigra + correlation between sociosexual submissive gesture gesture and low rank Miopithecus talapoin Cercopithecus albigena Presbytis johnii Papio papio Mandrillus sphinx

In some species, mounting behavior correlates with rank

But in many other species, there is no correlation High rank can also elicit submissive sociosexual presentations from subordinate animals

Sociosexual behavior

In some species (not all) there are distinctions between non-sexual and submissive presentations
Non-sexual presentations

and sexual and proceptive presentations

Sexual presentation

Sociosexual behavior
Other explanations for mounting and other sociosexual behaviors Conflict management (among the participants) Terminate aggression: immediate signal that fight is over Reconciliation: mending bonds after time delay Tension management (among bystanders or participants) Reassurance: prior to or during Tension reduction: afterwards Social cohesion Greetings: signal familiarity to other group member Reaffirm social relation: maintain group membership

Sociosexual behavior

Sociosexual behaviors are also used as greetings or to reduce social tension. Above a genital manipulation greeting among male chimpanzees

Sociosexual behavior
Reconciliation refers to behaviors that restore or improve the relationship among previously aggressive opponents.

Reconciliation is found in many primate species. Many sociosexual behaviors involve reconciliation
After an aggressive interaction there was a higher incidence of reconcilatory behaviors when compared to the same interactants where no aggression was observed

Sociosexual behavior: reconciliation

1. Male slaps female with infant 2. Female approaches male and offers hand 3. Male kisses females hand 4. Two engage in mouth kiss 5. Female later approaches her own mother who embraces her

Sociosexual behavior: reconciliation

1. Male A charges male B

2. Moments later, B approaches A

3. A embraces a nervously grinning B

4. A massages Bs genitals

Sociosexual behavior: reconciliation

1. Juvenile male tries to get closer look at infant 2. Male is pushed away by mother. 3. Juvenile screams

4. Juvenile spreads his legs and shows his erect penis. 5. Mother responds to this appeasement gesture by inspecting his genitals.

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Bonobos or Pygmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus) are a species of chimpanzee that are found in a restricted geographic area, south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known a Zaire)

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Bonobos only here

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Bonobos are mostly similar to chimpanzees:

Mix of fruit/leaves/prey in diet Similar grouping patterns/social system Similar life history and reproductive patterns Similar locomotion and body size

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Butrelative to common chimpanzees, bonobos have:

much more female --> male aggression moderate male-male association strong female-female association mostly tolerant intercommunity relations much less male --> female aggression

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Sexuallyrelative to common chimpanzees, bonobos have:

higher use of sexual behavior to diffuse social tension high amounts of sexual behavior during non-swelling portions of sexual cycle much more variable copulatory positions much more female-female sociosexual behaviors (G-G rubbing) more male-initiated mating attempts

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

bonobos

common chimps

Bonobo females have prolonged sexual swellings relative to chimpanzees (and can occur even during lactation).

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

In bonobos, females G-G rub and then share food and the dominant male waits in the background; only when the females are done can the male feed

In chimpanzees, the dominant male monopolized the food source while the females wait; only when he leaves can the females feed

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Why are bonobos different from common chimpanzees?

Perhaps the absence of gorillas, thus less feeding competition. This leads to more stable foraging groups, less fissionfusion, and less sexual coercion.
Also leads to longer periods of sexual receptivity and more sexual communication

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Why are bonobos different from common chimpanzees?
Larger, more stable foraging parties Less aggression, more costs to using aggression

Bonobos

More foliage because no gorillas eat it

Less scramble competition

More female bonding, less male aggression. And a change in the economics of food sharing and what is used to solve problems. Less sexual dimorphism/neoteny

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Examples of G-G rubbing; (genito-genital contact)

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain high rates of G-G rubbing in Bonobos (with predictions) Reconciliation--should occur more after aggression Mate attraction--more G-G rubbing should result in more copulations Tension regulation--should occur after tense situation (large groups/feeding) Expression of social status--should associate with rank asymmetry Social bonding--should occur among kins and friends more than non-friends

Sociosexual behavior in bonobos: A case study

It appears that no single hypothesis can account for the
varied ways in which genital contacts are used. Instead, genital contacts seem to serve a number of functions.

But the authors find more compelling support for reconciliation and for tension regulation