A new study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Zoological Society of London revealed that chacma baboons prefer to spend time with others baboons of the same age, status and personality.

The research showed that baboons, within a troop spend most of their time with baboons that have similar characteristics to themselves. Baboons associate with those who are of similar age, dominance rank and even personality type such as boldness.

Scientists called this behavior of baboons as homophily or love of the same.

According to researchers this behavior of baboons might act as a barrier to transfer new social information to a wider troop. Previous research done by the team showed that baboons of a certain age and personality type are more likely to be information generators, who usually solve new foraging problems.

Given that information generators spend much of their time in the company of similar baboons, researchers said that there is a risk that acquired information can end up exclusively confined to other information generators, thus decreasing the likelihood of new knowledge being disseminated to the wider troop.

First author Alecia Carter said within these big troop networks over time, social preferences are dictated by age, rank, personality and other factors. The same happens in humans all the time, they usually hang out with people who have the same income, religion, education etc.

Senior author Guy Cowlishaw said that the study is the first to suggest that bolder and shyer baboons are more likely to associate with others that share this personality trait.

Carter said they found that gender was not a particular obstacle to social interaction, with females preferring to groom males.

Also, the study is first of its kind to have followed baboon social network structures for such as extended period of time.