In a study that was almost two decades in the making, researchers were able to identify exactly what traits monkeys were most attracted to, and it turns out that size really matters.
While humans debate over whether big noses are attractive (they absolutely are), monkeys have known all along that they’re very desirable.
Scientists from Cardiff University, the Danau Girang Field Centre, Kyoto University and Sabah Wildlife Department, found a clear link between the nose size of the male monkeys and the number of females in their harems.
Dr Sen Nathan, Assistant Director of Sabah Wildlife Department and PhD student at Cardiff University and Danau Girang Field Centre, said: “Although the unique nature of the ‘odd-nosed’ proboscis monkey has long been admired as an extremely attractive visual feature by biologists, explanations for its evolution have so far been gleaned more from folklore than from science.”
However, in their research, scientists found that both competitiveness between males for reproduction and female’s perceived taste in male monkeys were causal factors in the evolution of these incredible noses.
Dr Nathan added: “We also observed that nasal enlargement modified the resonance properties of male vocalisations, which probably encode male quality. Our results therefore indicate that the audiovisual contributions of enlarged male noses serve as advertisements to females in their mate selection.”
Additionally, the team found that males with larger noses also tended to have bigger body mass and testis, which they said suggests that nose enlargement is a reliable predictor of social dominance and high sperm count.
Dr Benoit Goossens, Director of Danau Girang Field Centre and Reader at Cardiff University, added: “We expect our study will shed light on the hypothesis of audiovisual coevolution of exaggerated male traits in primate lineages and provide further evidence for the evolutionary pathway of enlarged noses in proboscis monkeys.
“Now our tour guides will be able to tell their guests that size matters, and that males with larger noses attract more females in their harem.”
Long live big noses, if you ask me.
