Is There a “Right” Side of Communicating Friendship? Lateralization of Social Interactions in Zoo Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
Social laterality in non-human primates has started to attract attention in recent years. The positioning of individuals during social interactions could possibly suggest the nature of a relationship and the social ranking of the subjects involved. The subjects of the present study were 12 adult Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) housed in a zoological garden. We […]
Social bonds predict future cooperation in male Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus
Social bonds have been construed as mental representations mediating social interactions among individuals. It is problematic, however, to differentiate this mechanism from others that assume more direct exchanges and interchanges of behaviour such as reciprocity, market effects or mutualism. We used naturally occurring shifts in rates and patterns of social interactions among male Barbary macaques […]
Contrast in Diet Amongst Barbary Macaques on Gibraltar: Human Influences
A four-month study was conducted on three groups of free-ranging, provisioned Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus, L) on Gibraltar in 1992. The groups exhibited marked contrasts in the levels of provisioned, tourist-derived and natural foods in their diet, which related to differences experienced in the level and nature of human visitation. Feeding on natural plant items […]
Macaque mothers’ preconception testosterone levels relate to dominance and to sex of offspring
There is increasing evidence to support hypotheses that suggest that mammalian females may have some influence over which sex of offspring they conceive. In the search for a mechanism by which this might occur, female testosterone has become a focus of interest. We investigated the relation between level of faecal testosterone in female Barbary macaques, […]
Male mating behaviour in relation to female sexual swellings, socio-sexual behaviour and hormonal changes in wild Barbary macaques
Abstract In many cercopithecine primates females display probabilistic cues of fertility to indicate the periovulatory period to males. These cues may include female behaviour, acoustic signals, and morphological signs such as the anogenital swelling. However, the extent to which males can utilise this information varies between species. We describe male sexual behaviour in relation to […]
Grooming increases self-directed behaviour in wild Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus
Allogrooming has hygienic and social functions. Moreover, anxiety is thought to be reduced in the first few minutes after a grooming interaction is terminated. Few data exist on postgrooming reduction in anxiety, and mostly concern the recipient of grooming and captive animals. We analysed whether anxiety is reduced after grooming and whether this reduction differs […]