Parents killing their children ...... are there other primate species that do this?

Question

I asked a similar question here, and people referred to other animal species that kill their young:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvA7ObLSJrEMKm9FNC1HWCXsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071126224757AAKNi7w

However, the real question is whether or not other members of the Primate family kill their (own) young. I'm sure that we could find some animal species that matches a particular human behavior, but comparing ourselves to other primates seems more appropriate.

FYI - I was originally writing about this story line: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071127/ap_on_re_us/child_s_remains

Answer 1

Among primates it is rare since they have long life history traits and it is disadvantageous to kill their own offspring. Remember, gorillas do not kill their own offspring, but instead others. Chimpanzees have been known to kill infants who may be their own offspring as far as they know (in chimpanzee society, paternity is never known).

Answer 2

I know its not a primate, but i distinctly remember learning about lions at uni....male lions..or at least the alpha male makes sure that all the babies in its pride are its own offspring....I believe the term is called alturism. This is so it enables its DNA and genes etc are passed on and not others.

lead males are often challenged by other lions, mainly young males that have just left their pride ( they grew up in)...the winning male is the strongest and therefore will have better genes than the male it just beat, so that male will kill all the babies lions in the pride and then mates with females to ensure it has as many offspring as it can get....its in the lead males best interests to pass its " superior" genes onto as many young as it can and kill off any " inferior" offspring.

I would say there are a few other species that would do a similar thing for the same reasons ,but I don;t know terribly much about animals ( I'm more into plants..more peace loving).

Answer 3

every animal can and has done it. humans aren't outside of the system just because we want to be.

Answer 4

depending on the situation - i thnk every species would do so

Answer 5

there was a case of animals in their den being starved out by predators they ate their young and used the energy to escape, apart from that anything that kills a child and especially it's own deserves to be killed it's the lowest thing you could do typically it's usually junkie scum that do it

Answer 6

Monkeys, horses, cats etc. Not unusual. Unfortunate but far more common that you seem to realize.

Answer 7

I think a male gorilla might do that as they are holders of harems. I think when a young gorilla forces an older gorilla off his harem he may kill the young to bring the females in to estrus.

I am not sure, as that is an evolutionary prediction. You would have thought a primatologist would have answered this by now.

Answer 8

what I know is the male cat and monkey  kills puppy in order to love their's  mother,defininitely they  don't know are the father,

the human must  be different if is sapiens sapiens,the top of evulution.