Mandrills more likely to miscarry while still raising a dependent infant, study finds
Researchers say fetal loss may sometimes be an adjustment of maternal investment rather than only reproductive failure, drawing on 11 years of data from the only habituated population of wild mandrills
Female mandrills are more likely to miscarry when they become pregnant while still caring for a dependent infant, and the risk rises when that infant makes more persistent demands for care, according to a study led by scientists from the Institute of Evolutionary Science in Montpellier, the University of Turku and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. The researchers say the pattern suggests fetal loss may sometimes form part of a broader reproductive strategy, helping mothers balance investment between current and future offspring.