The fact that human beings give birth accompanied or assisted, usually by other women, is a fairly common occurrence in all cultures, although, no doubt, there are others in which childbirth is a solitary event. However, what we didn't know is there are also cute midwives.
This behavior had not been detected until recently, when a team of researchers from Yunnan University in China observed a surprising fact: a cute mantrona.
Team principal Xiao Wen and his collaborators have been watching black Rhinopithecus monkeys for years, but he had never seen one give birth, as births usually happen at night. However, last year, they witnessed a birth and something more surprising, the parturient received help from another monkey with childbirth experience. They have just published their work in the magazine Behavioural Processes.
A female of the species began her delivery, which is normally estimated to happen in 10 minutes, but after a quarter of an hour she started screaming. Another older female came hurriedly and when the baby crowned she helped him out and separated the menbranas that surrounded him. The mother then cut the cord and ate the placenta, as most mammals usually do.
It is impossible, according to the researchers, to know exactly what problem the mother was having in childbirth but everything seems to indicate that, feeling that she was not advancing, she asked for help and another female reproduced the behavior of taking out the baby that the mother normally does when the baby leaves head. They infer that this help can be vital if childbirth is complicated and that this human custom may have already appeared previously in our ancestors as observed in this cute matron.
