A study by researchers at the University of Toronto has uncovered a new type of social organization in primates – one that may help further our understanding of human evolution.
The research, led by U of T Scarborough’s Julie Teichroeb and PhD student Samantha Stead, for the first time finds evidence of a multi-level society in a species of African colobus monkeys.
The monkeys group together in small units. Some units consist of one male and multiple females, while others include multiple males and multiple females.
“We haven’t seen multi-male units like this before,” says Teichroeb, who is an assistant professor in the department of anthropology and an expert in primate behaviour and the evolution of social organization in primates.
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