Is Animal Mating Just for Reproduction? Scientists Say: It Can Also Be for Making Friends
Humans are one of the most successful species on Earth, which distinguishes them from all other animals in nature. Most animals in the natural world hunt, grow, and reproduce according to instinct. However, humans rely more on reason and moral standards to control their behavior directly.
For example, in terms of procreation, humans choose a partner to accompany them for life based on their emotions, while the offspring of most animals are the result of human love. However, animals usually don't do this; many animals will mate during the estrus period and then the males and females may separate after mating, as if animal mating is just for procreation.
Is this really the case? Scientists say that animal mating is not just for procreation, but also for making friends.
Although most animals only mate and have offspring during the fixed estrus period, not all animals do this. Many animals do not have fixed estrus periods, and they can also mate at any time, like humans. For example, the procreation of our close relatives, primates, is not just for procreation.
The mating of Sichuan monkeys may be for making friends.
Sichuan monkeys live in Sichuan, China. They usually give birth to offspring from May to August. In the world of Sichuan monkeys, their mating is not just for procreation, but also for making friends, which is a way to establish friendship.
In a monkey troop, the monkey king cannot possess all the female monkeys, so the female monkeys also have the right to choose their partners. Animal found that some pregnant female monkeys choose to mate with higher-status males to reduce their competitive pressure. Some unmarried female monkeys choose to mate with lower-status males, which is currently puzzling to many scientists.
Surprisingly, scientists also found that some young monkeys also have mating behaviors, and many male monkeys mate with each other, like homosexuality. However, since these monkeys have not fully developed, it is just a simulated sexual behavior. In addition, scientists found that some male monkeys will solve their own problems when they don't have a mate.
In addition to Sichuan monkeys, Bonobos also mate frequently, not just between males and females, but also frequent mating between peers. They use mating as a way to greet each other, apologize, or obtain food from other members of the same kind. Research shows that the social behavior of Bonobos is similar to that of humans, and they can maintain long-term mother-child relationships, even across different groups, and they will visit each other to visit. Studying the behavior of Bonobos has great significance for human studies.
In conclusion, from these two animals, we can see that animal mating is not just a way of procreation, but also a way for animals to socialize.
