Summary of "Female baboons with male companions live longer" by Duke University
Duke University wrote that female baboons have a greater lifespan when interacting often with male baboons. The male baboons lengthen the females lifespan by providing physical and mental support.The males can guard the females from deadly predators and enhance her access to food and water sources. The males can also give the females a mental boost. These mental boosts can be be achieved by grooming the female. As Susan Alberts said, "Grooming is the equivalent of gossip, or having a good conversation over a cup of coffee." The lack of conversation in a female baboon's life can decline with aging. This happens when the females close friends die off. This makes it hard for the females to essentially "find" new companions. Female baboons interacting with male baboons will have a longer lifespan (Duke University, 2014).
During this blog post I learned about baboons and how having "friends" affects their lifespan. This causes me to wonder. I wonder if the baboons actually feel more comfortable with a companion of the male sex or if the baboons would feel comforted around any baboon? I thought the research for this project was entertaining because of my love for science and the outdoors. Overall, this project enhanced my understanding of baboons but also helped a lot with summarizing and recognizing when I could possibly be plagiarizing someone else's work.
APA Citation: Duke University. (2014, September 10). Female baboons with male companions live longer. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 10, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140910093225.htm
Interesting. I like your question about whether it matters if the baboon is male, especially since the article refers to the loss of female friends later in life.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad you appreciate the anti-plagiarizing training of the assignment. :)