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[[underscore]]Ateles[[/underscore]] ssp, Oct. 27, 1960, XII. [[circled]]45[[/circled]]
sexual rather than just friendly. 1. The [[male symbol]] spent almost all the time wrestling with the same [[female symbol]]. He ignored the other adult [[female symbol]] completely, and wrestled with the young [[female symbol]] (Bucktooth) only once, very briefly. 2. Comparison with the behavior of the adult [[male symbol]] Red.

When we first let the young Reds loose, the adult [[male symbol]] Red came over to investigate. The oldest [[female symbol]] Red, slightly more than 1/2 grown came over to him as soon as he approached. Immediately threw her arms about his neck, and brought her face close to his. Probably a form of SNF. Perhaps also an int. mov. of grooming. The [[male symbol]] responded by uttering MLB's [[underline]] and performing repeated Lsh's [[/underline]]. The [[female symbol]] immed. retreated, but came back again very soon, and the two arrivals began to wrestle in a rather desultory fashion. For quite a long time. The [[male symbol]] continued to do quite a lot of MLB's and Lsh's during the first part of this wrestling: Then became more silent as the wrestling continued, uttering only a few bursts of MLB from time to time. The [[female symbol]] also did silent MO at various times during this wrestling (probably without Lsh's?. Finally, the 2 animals separated--and I saw that [[underline]] the [[male symbol]]'s penis was erect! [[/underline]] This is the nearest thing I have seen to sex so far.

I might add that SNF seems to be quite a common reaction whenever two strange spider monkeys, either Black or Red, meet one another. Usually silent. Apparently unritualized. Quite variable in form. One animal may try to SNF face to face with the other, or SNF almost any other part of the other's body. Face to face is most common, but other forms are by no means rare. I have never, however, seen anything like stereotyped nose to anus SNF

I forgot to mention; above, that the adult [[male symbol]] Red and the adult [[male symbol]] Black sometimes MLB at one another, face to face, through the wire netting of the Black cage. Sometimes accompanied by silent MO by one or both