Sexually dimorphic behavior in group-housed rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) at 1 year of age

Abstract

Although laboratory studies suggest that sex differences expressed by juvenile rhesus monkeys are influenced by their social rearing environment, few studies have examined developmental sex differences under seminatural social conditions. We report sex differences in yearling rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) raised in a 69-member social group. Like laboratory-reared animals, males mounted and played more than did females. In contrast to the results of laboratory studies, there were no sex differences in aggression or submission, nor were there any sex differences in grooming or mother-yearling interactions. Yearling females approached and spent more time with adult, nonmother females and with younger infants than did yearling males. These findings suggest that male and female rhesus monkeys engage in juvenile patterns of behavior related to sexually dimorphic adult patterns of social behavior. © 1988, Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.