Ella Davies writes in BBC Nature:
“Female bonobos ‘advertise’ their homosexual activity to important audiences, say scientists.
“Researchers studying communication among the apes found that females made the most noise during sex if the 'alpha female' was nearby. Low-ranking females that were invited to have sex with high-ranking females would also call to tell other group members about the bond.
“Experts suggest females communicate the encounters to boost their status.
“The species Pan paniscus are referred to as the ‘erotic’ or ‘promiscuous apes’ because they regularly engage in sexual contact with both their own and the opposite sex.
“’[Sex] is used to reduce stress and competition, develop affiliations, express and test social relationships and for reconciling conflicts and consoling victims in distress,’ explained Dr Zanna Clay, from Emory University in Atlanta, who has been studying vocalisations in the species for five years.”
Read the whole article in BBC Nature.
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