--- title: Young Male Monkeys Prefer Spending Time With Daddy, Study Says description: A new study found that young adult male monkeys prefer the company of their father, one of the first times exhibited in primates canonical: https://time.com/3762930/monkeys-father-time/ author: Kevin McSpadden article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-30T05:03:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:04:48.948Z article:section: Science og:title: Young Male Monkeys Prefer Spending Time With Daddy og:description: Turns out quality father-son time is not just a human phenomenon. og:url: https://time.com/3762930/monkeys-father-time/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c50aa25fb03b485/698785b68e06010e7045aff6/rhesus-monkey-island-male-research.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3504 og:image:height: 1971 og:image:alt: A rhesus macaque monkey grooms another on Cayo Santiago, known as Monkey Island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, Tuesday, July 29, 2008. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Young Male Monkeys Prefer Spending Time With Daddy twitter:description: Turns out quality father-son time is not just a human phenomenon. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c50aa25fb03b485/698785b68e06010e7045aff6/rhesus-monkey-island-male-research.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Young Male Monkeys Prefer Spending Time With Daddy, Study Says > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Mar 30, 2015 5:03 AM UTC  A rhesus macaque monkey grooms another on Cayo Santiago, known as Monkey Island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, on July 29, 2008 A rhesus macaque monkey grooms another on Cayo Santiago, known as Monkey Island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, on July 29, 2008 Brennan Linsley—AP by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Mar 30, 2015 5:03 AM UTC Male rhesus macaque monkeys prefer the company of their fathers, according to a [new study](http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150324-male-monkeys-prefer-their-dads), marking one of the first times gender partiality has been exhibited in primates before they leave the colony. Rhesus macaques are generally found in Asia, but by studying a colony on the small Puerto Rican island of Cayo Santiago the team was able to identify individual moneys and document socialization patterns, according to the BBC, citing a report in the _American Journal of Primatology._ Researchers discovered that infants and juveniles spent more time with their mothers, but as they developed into adulthood the role of the father (and his relatives) becomes increasingly important. Scientists think this is because male monkeys eventually leave the colony, so young adults spend more time with their fathers to help them prepare for the challenges of a nomadic lifestyle. While gender preference had been observed in primates before, the new study shows that parental bias begins before the males go off on their own — a departure from the previous idea that favoritism is the result of females forming strong bonds with their relatives by remaining in the group when the males leave. \[[_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150324-male-monkeys-prefer-their-dads)\] ### See The Best Biology Photos Of The Year  Two Bisons on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Lukas Gawenda  A spider at sunset in Predel, Bulgaria. Krasimir Matarov  Parasitoid wasps building clay pots in Borneo, Brunei. Thomas Endlein  Siblings watering newly planted seedlings in Rizal, The Philippines. Ysabel M Victoriano  A leopard in its natural habitat in Karantaka, India. Nagarjun Ram  A farmer protects his family and animals from mosquitos in Gujarat, India. Dimple Pancholi  A tarsier in its natural habitat in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Wolfgang Weinhardt  A plant takes advantage of the available shelter in a dilapidated house in Kolmanskop, Namibia. Kelsey Green  A female blackbird holding a dried mealworm in her mouth in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Billy Clapham  A chick embryo in a hardened eggshell is sustained until full development in Rizal, The Philippines. Robert Cabagnot  An adult female Italian crested newt stationed below the fresh water surface in Piedmont, Italy. Matteo Riccardo Di Nicola  A sea turtle eating a jellyfish in The Maldives. 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