Washington, Nov 14: Baboon mothers who make lots of friends among other females have better luck raising their young than do less sociable mothers, according to a new study that supports the idea that primates, including humans, need a strong social network. In a study appearing today in the journal Science, researchers found that baboon mothers who spent time cultivating friends were about a third more successful at raising their young than were females who were more aloof.
"We don't know how sociability helps females, but we do know that social females do better at raising their young," said Susan C Alberts, a Duke University researcher and co-author of the study.
"It suggests that social bonds are an important part of being primates."
Joan B Silk, a University of California, Los Angeles, professor and first author of the study, said the researchers analyzed how 108 females in wild groups of baboons in Kenya spent their time and how this might affect their motherhood.
The baboons socialize by staying close together, grooming each other's fur and forming tight coalitions against outside threats.
Bureau Report