Babuino knows how to distinguish his offspring

2003/09/12 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Zoologia

Baboon does not have to do DNA testing to differentiate whether or not baboon puppies are theirs. Beans are promiscuous, and both males and females have sex with several partners. Of course, the mother has no problem knowing her children, as they have brought them into the world. But males do not have such an easy task. The seeds, after 'sowing' here and there, and considering that each female has received seeds from several males, all the offspring in the area can be their own or not. However, a team of researchers has made a surprising discovery. The Babuino have seen that they have the capacity to separate their offspring.

A group of researchers from Duke, UCLA and Princeton Universities have been studying the behavior of baboons on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya for 30 years. In the last three years they have focused on contact between adults and young babuinos. Young Babuinos play with each other again and again and hostilities are frequent. In these hostilities Babuinos make peace, but researchers have seen that they tend to defend what they consider their descendant. They protect the children of the house and drive away those who are not their own. The researchers have carried out DNA studies and have coincided with the selections made by the baboons. Baboons have the ability to know what their offspring are and what they are not.

How do you know?

How do the baboon males manage to separate the offspring generated with their seed? According to the researchers, the male baboon takes into account which female and when she has covered it. In the 4-5 days of greatest fertility the females have inflated their sexual organs. So, if during those days he has been the only male who has had sex with the female, or at least covered it more often, the male baboon may conclude that he will be the father of the new baby to be born.

But the accounts do not always come out so clear, and although all indications point out that the paternity of the baby is very uncertain, the babuino manages to choose his puppy. According to the researchers, in these cases the baboon takes into account the characteristics of the puppy to decide whether it is his or not. Common among human beings are attempts to find the child physical similarities with their parents, siblings or close relatives. That's what the baboon does. In addition to his physical characteristics, he also uses the smell to see if the child resembles him and decide if he can consider him as his successor. And it gets good results. Baboon, based on the memories of their sexual relationships and the characteristics and smells of the offspring, gets the same results as man through DNA studies. Babuino knows how to differentiate her offspring!