NEW SCIENTIST: All other primates live their lives according to a simple rule

    Press/Media: Research

    Description

    A SIMPLE rule governs a seemingly random phenomenon: the sizes of the groups in which primates live. It seems our closest living relatives opt for social groupings that aren’t as varied and flexible as you might think.

    Susanne Shultz at the University of Manchester, UK, and her colleagues compared group sizes in 215 primate species. The average number in a group varied between species but was always clustered around five distinct sizes (Biology Letters, DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0490).

    Period17 Jan 2018

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    • TitleAll other primates live their lives according to a simple rule
      Media name/outletNew Scientist
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date17/01/18
      DescriptionA SIMPLE rule governs a seemingly random phenomenon: the sizes of the groups in which primates live. It seems our closest living relatives opt for social groupings that aren’t as varied and flexible as you might think.

      Susanne Shultz at the University of Manchester, UK, and her colleagues compared group sizes in 215 primate species. The average number in a group varied between species but was always clustered around five distinct sizes (Biology Letters, DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0490).
      URLhttps://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23731612-200-there-are-only-so-many-lifestyles-primates-can-have/
      PersonsSusanne Shultz
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    Keywords

    • primates
    • evolution

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