scholarly journals Imitation Predicts Social Favor in Adolescent Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Anderson ◽  
Erin L Kinnally
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Macaca Mulatta ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Natural Setting ◽  
Primate Research ◽  
Social Feedback ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Sample Set

AbstractObjectivesImitation is a highly conserved component of animal behavior with multifaceted connections to sociality across taxa. One intriguing consequence of imitation in primates is that it promotes positive social feedback from the imitated toward the imitator. This suggests that imitation in primates may facilitate positive social interactions, but few studies have tracked imitation in socially housed primates. Here, we designed a novel ethogram to characterize imitation between conspecifics, to better understand whether imitation is associated with affiliation between primates in a semi-natural setting.Materials and MethodsIn this study, 15 juvenile rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were observed at the California National Primate Research Center. Using focal sampling, frequencies of imitative events (e.g. following, postural mimicry, etc.) by the focal were observed over a course of 12 weeks. In separate observations, focal social behavior (e.g. aggression, play, etc.) was also observed.ResultsSubjects that exhibited higher degrees of imitation were not necessarily more prosocial, but, consistent with our hypothesis, they received significantly more play overtures from social partners (p<.01). In addition, imitation rates generally decrease with age.ConclusionsTogether, these results suggest that imitation is associated with receiving positive social behavior in a complex, semi-natural setting in primates, and that imitation may be more common in adolescence as opposed to adulthood. These preliminary results in a small sample set represent an important step in characterizing imitation in context of social interactions during development. Tracking these behaviors over time will elucidate whether imitation is directly recruiting these positive social interactions, as has been demonstrated in captivity.

scholarly journals Temperament Predicts the Quality of Social Interactions in Captive Female Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2452
Author(s):  
Ori Pomerantz ◽  
John P. Capitanio
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Macaca Mulatta ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Primate Research ◽  
Submissive Behavior ◽  
Data Variability ◽  
Female Rhesus ◽  
Female Rhesus Macaques ◽  
National Primate Research

Previous reports suggest that female macaques with greater similarity in emotionality and nervous temperament, as evaluated in a well-established BioBehavioral Assessment (BBA) at the California National Primate Research Center, were more likely to form successful pairs. We tested whether the same measures can also predict the quality of social interactions among 20 female rhesus macaque pairs. We correlated the pairs’ emotionality and nervous temperament scores obtained in infancy and the levels of behaviors recorded systematically during the pairing process years later. Supporting previous findings, partners with similar emotionality scores were more affiliative, and pairs with similar nervous temperament expressed less dominance/submissive behavior. Exploratorily, we found that pairs that were better at processing social information (part of BBA) were also more anxious. Such animals should be prioritized to be introduced in rooms that house calmer, less aggressive animals and provide opportunities for hiding to alleviate their anxiety. Indeed, positive social experiences not only promote animal welfare, but also reduce stress related confounds and unexplained data variability. Therefore, by incorporating the animals’ temperament into the pair configuration process we increase the likelihood of forming high-quality pairs, both in terms of welfare and the research of which they are a part.

Contribution of adult sex ratio to trauma and reproductive output in large breeding groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-492
Author(s):  
J Crast ◽  
MA Bloomsmith ◽  
CM Remillard ◽  
T Meeker
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Macaca Mulatta ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primate Research ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Breeding Groups ◽  
Financial Burdens

Maintaining stable breeding groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) can be challenging due to the complex social dynamics and despotic nature of the species. Trauma from aggression is a common problem in rhesus colonies and can cause social disruption, strain veterinary and animal management resources, and potentially affect reproduction. Previous research has shown that increasing the number of non-natal adult males in a breeding group can improve group stability, reduce trauma, and increase reproduction. Here, we used mixed-effects regression models to examine the effects of sex ratio and other factors on trauma and reproduction at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center using a historical dataset made up of four large rhesus groups over an eleven-year period (2003–2013). As expected, sex ratio was a significant predictor for both trauma and reproduction. However, group age since formation was a stronger predictor of trauma frequency and the amount of space available was a slightly better predictor of reproduction than sex ratio or trauma. These results indicate that improving sex ratios can be a viable management strategy to reduce trauma and improve reproduction, particularly when it is difficult to manipulate the group compositions and/or their housing situations. Reducing trauma is a primary goal for rhesus breeding colonies, as it directly impacts the monkeys' health and psychological well-being. Such improvements are necessary for the ethical treatment and care of the animals themselves, but also to reduce financial burdens and maintain a healthy colony for research purposes.

Gestural communication in three species of macaques (Macaca mulatta, M. nemestrina, M. arctoides)

Gesture ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 57-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Maestripieri
Keyword(s):  
Macaca Mulatta ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Gestural Communication ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Pigtail Macaques ◽  
Bonding Patterns

The present study compared the frequency and contextual usage of the most prominent gestural signals of dominance, submission, affiliation, and bonding in rhesus, pigtail, and stumptail macaques living in captivity. Most similarities among species were found in signals of dominance and submission and most differences in affiliative gestures and bonding patterns. Rhesus macaques have a relatively poor gestural repertoire, pigtail macaques possess conspicuous signals of affiliation and bonding, and stumptail macaques have the richest repertoire of assertive and submissive signals. The similarities and differences in the gestural repertoires of rhesus, pigtail, and stumptail macaques can be related to the intragroup social dynamics of these species as well as to their evolutionary history.

scholarly journals Heritability and maternal effects on social attention during an attention bias task in a non-human primate, Macaca mulatta

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Bethell ◽  
Caralyn Kemp ◽  
Harriet Thatcher ◽  
Julia Schroeder ◽  
Kevin Arbuckle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Macaca Mulatta ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Attention Bias ◽  
Social Attention ◽  
Pedigree Information ◽  
Neutral Face ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Human Primate

Social attention is fundamental to a wide range of behaviours in non-human primates. However, we know very little about the heritability of social attention in non-human primates, and the heritability of attention to social threat has not been assessed. Here, we provide data to begin to fill this gap in knowledge. We tested 67 female rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, on an attention bias preferential looking task in which they viewed threat-neutral face pairs. We recorded a number of looking time measures of social attention to conspecific faces, and attention to conspecific threat faces specifically. In addition, we recorded levels of vigilant scanning in the social group. We quantified heritability and maternal effects using pedigree information. Repeatabilities for social attention ranged from 11% - 25%. Repeatability for attention to threat faces was 16%, with zero repeatability for attention bias, calculated by subtracting duration of looking towards the neutral face from duration of looking towards the threat face (a common practice in the literature). Heritabilities for social attention were 8% - 14%, with maternal effects 6% - 11%. Heritability for attention to threat was 10%, with maternal effect 4%. This is the first study that we are aware of to test the heritability of attention to threat in a non-human primate. We discuss these findings in light of understanding mechanisms underlying social behaviour in primates, evolutionary pathways of social attention in humans, epidemiology of mental health issues such as anxiety, and potential for improving markers of animal emotion and wellbeing in captivity.

scholarly journals Spontaneous endometriosis in rhesus macaques: evidence for a genetic association with specific Mamu-A1 alleles

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Ivanela Kondova ◽  
Gerco Braskamp ◽  
Peter J. Heidt ◽  
Wim Collignon ◽  
Tom Haaksma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mhc Class I ◽  
Macaca Mulatta ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
The United States ◽  
Class I ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Primate Research ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract. Endometriosis is a poorly understood common debilitating women's reproductive disorder resulting from proliferative and ectopic endometrial tissue associated with variable clinical symptoms including dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual periods), dyspareunia (pain on intercourse), female infertility, and an increased risk of malignant transformation. The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) develops a spontaneous endometriosis that is very similar to that seen in women. We hypothesized that specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles may contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. As part of a collaboration between the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC) in the Netherlands and the New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC) in the United States, we analyzed DNA sequences of MHC class I (Macaca mulatta, Mamu-A1) and class II (Mamu-DRB) alleles from rhesus macaques with endometriosis and compared the allele frequencies with those of age-matched healthy macaques. We demonstrate that two MHC class I alleles are overrepresented in diseased macaques compared to controls: Mamu-A1*001, 33.3 % in BPRC animals with endometriosis vs. 11.6 % in healthy macaques (p =  0.007), and Mamu-A1*007, 21.9 % NEPRC rhesus macaques vs. 6.7 %, (p =  0.003). We provide evidence that select MHC class I alleles are associated with endometriosis in rhesus macaques and suggest that the disease pathogenesis contribution of MHC class I warrants further research.

Observations on the behaviour of the smoky mouse Pseudomys fumeus (Rodentia: Muridae).

2000 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
RE Woods ◽  
FD Ford
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Wild Population ◽  
New South ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
South Wales ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild

This study examined aspects of behaviour in a captive colony of smoky mice, Pseudomys fumeus, over a two year period. Wherever possible behaviours observed in the captive population are compared to data collected in a study of a wild population in south-eastern New South Wales. This paper provides the first recorded observations of behavior in this species. Both captive and wild populations of P. fumeus display strictly nocturnal circadian activity rhythms. In the captive study, P. fumeus were found to exhibit social interactions similar to some previously studied Pseudomys species. However, in the wild, the species was found to communally nest during the breeding season, behaviour not observed in other Pseudomys from similar habitats. P. fumeus in captivity can have more than two litters in one breeding season which suggests that their reproductive parameters are more flexible than previous studies of wild populations have shown. Field data indicate that post-partum oestrus can occur in this species, and that gestation lasts for approximately 30 days, although these observations are based on a small sample.

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