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 ocer

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?

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