Anthropologist Finds Owl Monkey Reproduction Favors Monogamy

Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, an associate professor in Penn’s Department of Anthropology, and Maren Huck, a former postdoctoral fellow in his laboratory and now a professor at the University of Derby in the United Kingdom, have found evidence that owl monkeys who opt for multiple partners produce fewer offspring.

Focusing on wide-eyed, nocturnal owl monkeys, the research reveals that when an owl monkey pair is severed by an intruding individual, the mate who takes up with a new partner disrupts normal reproductivity.

“We have managed over the years to have quite significant sample sizes for a study of wild non-human primates,” Fernandez-Duque said. “These findings are possible because we have intense demographic monitoring year-round that allows us to notice when a male is missing, when a female is missing, or when there’s a new adult in the group. We couple this with intense behavioral monitoring that allows us to document the details of fights or the whole process of mate replacement.”

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