Male Parental Behavior in a Captive Group of Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Abstract

In this captive gorilla group, which resembled the central core of the free-ranging gorilla groups, the adult male exhibited a persistent interest in infants. His affiliation patterns with particular infants were directly related to his affiliation patterns with the infants' mothers. The data suggest that development of strong affiliation bonds with particular females may be a strategy uded by dominant males, in addition to ostracism of nondominant males, to increase paternity confidence. By investing relatively more in those offspring to whose mothers he is more strongly bonded, the male increases the probability of investing in his own offspring.