image: An adult male mate-guards a fertile female (note the sexual swelling) during a sexual consortship. Successful mate-guarding allows the male to maintain exclusive access and to obtain any fertilizations. This involves the male following the female closely, being vigilant and fighting off any males that might disrupt the consortship. This image relates to an article that appeared in the July 15, 2011, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Laurence R. Gesquiere of Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., and colleagues was titled, "Life at the Top: Rank and Stress in Wild Male Baboons." view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Jeanne Altmann