Year: 1974
Type: article
Abstract: Adult males of a number of Old World monkeys possess a coloured 'sexual' skin, a term referring to an area of specialized skin covering the perineum, genitalia and adjacent areas. The sexual skin may be either blue, as in some Cercopithecus monkeys and in talapoins (Miopithecus talapoin), or red, as in rhesus monkeys and some baboons, or a mixture of the two colours, as in drills and mandrills (Napier & Napier, 1967). Despite much speculation, there is still little definite experimental evidence on the function of the sexual skin, though it is likely to act as a behavioural signal during sexual or aggressive interactions (Wickler, 1967; Crook, 1972). The hormonal control of its colour is therefore of particular interest. In rhesus monkeys and hamadryas baboons, castration results in the red sexual skin fading rapidly to a pale pink, and subsequent administration of testosterone or oestradiol restores the original colour (Zuckerman
Source: Reproduction
Authors: A. F. DIXSON, J. HERBERT
Institutions: University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham
Language: English
Topic: Primate Behavior and Ecology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2009646242