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Functional Significance of Social Grooming in Primates

In: Folia Primatologica
Author:
R.I.M. Dunbar Department of Anthropology, University College, London, UK.

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Online Publication Date:
14 Feb 1991
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Frequencies of social grooming recorded from 44 species of free-living primates correlate with group size but not body size. This is interpreted as evidence for the social function of grooming and against the purely hygienic function. However, there is some evidence to suggest that body size is a more important determinant of grooming time among platyrrhine primates. This might imply that there has been a shift in the functional system governing grooming during primate evolution.

Title:
Functional Significance of Social Grooming in Primates
Article Type:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1159/000156574
Language:
English
Pages:
121–131
Keywords:
Grooming; Social interaction; Allogrooming; Group size; Body size
In:
Folia Primatologica
In:
Volume 57: Issue 3
Publisher:
Brill
E-ISSN:
1421-9980
Print ISSN:
0015-5713
Subjects:
Zoology, Biology

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