A female hamadryas baboon grooms a dominant male in Awash National Park, Ethiopia. Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo

Sexual behavior is one reason why female mammals typically live longer than their male counterparts, according to a new study.

Researchers from Germany, Denmark, France, Hungary and Belgium analyzed data relating to 528 mammal species and 648 bird species in zoos, in the most comprehensive study to date on sex differences in adult life expectancy in mammals and birds, published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday.

They also analyzed data on populations in the wild for 110 species, to see if the findings would be the same in natural settings.

Among mammals, adult females lived 12% longer than males, the study found. However, the opposite trend was fou

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