M I C H A E LE N G E L H A R D
Authorandwildlifeguide
STUARTBLACKMAN
Sciencewriter
M I K E T O M S
BTO
Bonobo:
Anup
Shah/naturep
.com;
cuckoo:
O
ver
Rchter/BIA/M
nden/FLPA;
butterfly:
Co
nVarnde
/A
amy
Q&A
Thismonth’spanel
LAURIEJACKSON
Wildlifetourleader
LIZGREENGRASS
Primateexpert
SARAH PURDON
Red squirrel o cer
AMY-JANEBEER
Wildlifewriter
RICHARD JONES
Entomologist
B
irth rates in primates depend on a
variety of social and environmental
factors as well as species-specific factors,
and differ enormously as a result.
Many monkeys, for instance, produce
offspring every year, while great apes have
much longer intervals between births –
chimpanzees have one infant every five
years; orangutans one every eight years.
Apes are particularly slow to breed due
to their large body sizes, slow rates
of maturation and long lifespans.
A female’s dominance rank and the
quality of the food available in her home
range will also impact her ability to
reproduce. She will therefore only give
birth to a handful of offspring that will
survive to adulthood across her lifetime,
even in the absence of anthropogenic
pressures and threats. This makes apes
particularly vulnerable, as their biology
makes it difficult for them to recover from
even small declines caused by human
activities. Liz Greengrass
How quickly do
other primates
reproduce?
PRIMATES
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