The main difference between male and female primates is that females are the primates who conceive offspring. If male primates were the ones conceiving, the roles would be completely different. There are two different reproduction strategies followed by male and female in the primate world. The male strategy would be to always be ready and eager to mate, so that he can maximize reproductive success. The female reproductive strategy would be to have males compete for her and also to select a quality male (male with territory and/or ability to protect her and her offspring). Another female reproductive strategy that will benefit them is sneaky copulation because it creates confusing paternity so if the transient male takes over the group, the offspring will not be killed. Male parental investment is quite low; mostly all the male does is simply give sperm to the female and go off in search of another mate. As for female parental investment, it is extremely high; because she must grow offspring in her body, give birth, breastfeed and raise the young. Factors limiting the male's reproductive success would be female access and competition with another male. As for the factors that limit the reproductive success of the female, they would be food resources and a space free from predators. Male strategies maximize reproductive success because, as males spend less time on parental investments, they may seek more mating opportunities; by chance the female will take care of the offspring so that her genes can be passed on. Another way for males to maximize their reproductive success would be to eliminate all infertile females from their mating because it is not possible to pass on male genes. Females use their ...... middle of paper ......st strategy for reproduction; now it is also used for sexual satisfaction. A reinterpretation of ancestral human mating patterns does not discredit the scientific method because with new technologies and research people/scientists are able to collect more data, while also taking a closer look at how human sexual behavior works. This is an example of the usefulness of the scientific method because when something is recognized as correct for the time being, people are able to prove it wrong or supplement the research with new data. Primates are very complex species; there is so much information about their sexual behavior and how unique it is. Human sexual behavior is naturally monogamous but may be different based on research. Meredith Small has a better understanding of how sexual practices are used in the world today; rather than the way it was interpreted by our ancestors.