Real Monkey Business
By Hayley Birch
In the latest scandal from the primate department, male marmosets are reportedly fathering their own brothers’ children.
Scientists claim the mischievous monkeys are destined for infidelity before they’re even born. Now that’s a strong claim to make. Surely we can’t pin the blame on the bloke here? Mummy marmoset must have been involved.
But as it turns out, lady-monkeys don’t get a say in the matter. What then? Monkey rape?
No. The answer lies in the marmoset’s rather unnerving ability to swap bits of itself with its siblings while in the womb.
It has long been known that marmoset twins can trade stem cells with each other during pregnancy.
This results in embryos – and full grown monkeys – with a mix of their own and their siblings’ cell lineages. These genetic jumbles are described as chimeric.
But primatologists at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio have only recently been able to show that this strange cell swapping applies to sperm. A male marmoset may reach adolescence blissfully unaware that the wild oats he is itching to sow actually belong to his brother.
So this means a marmoset is capable of impregnating his brothers’ girlfriend without so much as lifting a finger. Cunning.
But the truth of the matter is: marmoset society is hardly monogamous. Marmosets live in groups of up to fifteen adults, sometimes with only a single female. So one way or another, that female is mixing it up with everyone.
Here at The Null, primates have really had it rough in the past couple of weeks. But if you liked this you might want to try:
A very negative Rhesus
Lice to see you
The Null’s Podcast – Episode 1 (Monkeys, gorillas, pubic lice, head lice… everything you could wish for in 25 minutes of audio fun.)
Alternatively there's a world of science wonder available on Hayley's page.
Scientists claim the mischievous monkeys are destined for infidelity before they’re even born. Now that’s a strong claim to make. Surely we can’t pin the blame on the bloke here? Mummy marmoset must have been involved.
But as it turns out, lady-monkeys don’t get a say in the matter. What then? Monkey rape?
No. The answer lies in the marmoset’s rather unnerving ability to swap bits of itself with its siblings while in the womb.
It has long been known that marmoset twins can trade stem cells with each other during pregnancy.
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But primatologists at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio have only recently been able to show that this strange cell swapping applies to sperm. A male marmoset may reach adolescence blissfully unaware that the wild oats he is itching to sow actually belong to his brother.
So this means a marmoset is capable of impregnating his brothers’ girlfriend without so much as lifting a finger. Cunning.
But the truth of the matter is: marmoset society is hardly monogamous. Marmosets live in groups of up to fifteen adults, sometimes with only a single female. So one way or another, that female is mixing it up with everyone.
Here at The Null, primates have really had it rough in the past couple of weeks. But if you liked this you might want to try:
A very negative Rhesus
Lice to see you
The Null’s Podcast – Episode 1 (Monkeys, gorillas, pubic lice, head lice… everything you could wish for in 25 minutes of audio fun.)
Alternatively there's a world of science wonder available on Hayley's page.
Image: Nick Woolley/W
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