What is mutual grooming and allogrooming?

Monkeys are social animals. They live in groups and constantly communicate with each other. They also clean each other. This is called social grooming, mutual grooming, or allogrooming. 

Vervet Monkey

Mutual grooming is usually the term for grooming between two monkeys. Allogrooming is usually the term for grooming between several monkeys.

Monkeys remove ticks, insects, dirt, and other materials from each other. To groom each other, monkeys stroke, scratch, and massage each other.

Grooming is also used to form social relationships, to establish the family hierarchy (levels of dominance), to solve conflicts, or to relax and rest.

Other animals that groom each other include cows, horses, mice, meerkats, coati, lions, birds, and bats.

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM