This study has it all, sex, chimps, shouting, and the chance to make references to Sex and the City.
Researchers from Germany, Uganda and Scotland have found chimpanzees use ‘copulation calls’ in a rather clever way.
Simon Townsend, Tobias Deschner, and Klaus Zuberbühler found females seem to “advertise receptivity to high-ranked males, confuse paternity and secure future support from these socially important individuals” while at the same time avoiding a kicking from high ranking females for moving in on their men.
The researchers found females called “significantly more” when they were with high-ranking males (that’s ‘with’ in as in actually in flagrante). But they were pretty quiet when senior females were around.
“By making these louder calls, they are advertising to other good quality males in the area that they are fertile and receptive. That increases her chances of mating with those males and so confuses the offspring’s paternity,” says Townsend (The Guardian, similar quote in Reuters).
Of course this is media gold. The Daily Telegraph manages to slip in an inordinate number of Sex and the City references into its coverage. Also in London, the Times says “Shrieking during sex can disturb the neighbours in the jungle just as much as in suburbia, so female chimpanzees make a conscious effort to keep the noise down”
Meanwhile Metro, one of the city’s free papers extrapolates to humans, saying “Females who make lots of noise during sex may not be having a great time – it could simply be that their partner has low status. Equally, love-making is a less raucous affair once they have a strong mate.” I’m not sure they’ve read the paper correctly.
AFP says, “Female chimpanzees are hungry for sex with as many males as possible, and keep their mouths shut about it to boost their chances of luring the top chimps”.
The New York Times points out that baboons are less clever, giving “a staccato whoop at each copulation”.
The Independent has audio of a chimp call, for those of you interested in such things.
Image: Alamy