It’s a man’s world when it comes to ape societies — at least, that’s been the prevailing assumption for years. But some recent research is shaking up how we think about this group of primates to which humans belong. Rebecca Lewis, a professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, is the lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Animals in November. She and her research team reviewed previous literature on 79 primate species, including nine ape species, and grouped them into one of three categories: male-dominant, female-dominant, and co-dominant. The conclusion? “Non-male biased power is not uncommon,” Lewis says. Of the species surveyed, 58% were found to have male-biased power structures, but female- or co-dominant structures were found within every major primate group, including gibbons (lesser apes) and great apes. All five species of gibbons that were evaluated — lar (Hylobates lar), Müller’s (H. muelleri), agile (H. agilis) and pileated gibbons (H. pileatus), and siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus) — were classified as non-male-dominant. Among the great apes, bonobos (Pan paniscus), which are known for their matriarchal societies, are the only species to live in non-male-dominant groups. According to Lewis, a good indicator for a female- or co-dominant species is similar size in body and canine teeth between the sexes. The smaller the difference, or sexual dimorphism, the more level the playing field between males and females. For instance, siamangs only have a slight degree of sexual dimorphism, with males weighing just a few kilos…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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