Reproduction - Female Mate Choice
Female chimps have choices too when it comes to choosing a mate. They also decide whether or not they want to mate with the male. This enables the female to mate with the most dominant male they can attract and stay away from males that are less dominant. A major quality that the male must have for the female to choose him is “friendliness.” Males who have grown up with her, played with her and were by her side could also be a factor the male must need to be chosen.
Although female chimps usually live within multi-male groups, the female does not abandon her male mate choice. She often picks a certain dominant individual to mate with in the group. Another reason for her to remain in the group is to enhance her popularity among the male chimps within the community.
Females are very precise when picking their mate. They try to avoid copulation with their brothers and their sons who are mature. But such copulations do occur. The frequency of female chimps mating with their siblings and mature sons are less than the frequency of mating between random adults in the community. Unlike the male chimps, female chimpanzees avoid copulation with older males, especially ones who have fathered them.
