A comparison of activity patterns for captive Propithecus tattersalli and Propithecus coquereli
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2016 |
Authors: |
Gregory L. Wallace, Lisa B. Paquette, Kenneth E. Glander |
Publication/Journal: |
Zoo Biology |
Keywords: |
allogrooming, coquerel's sifaka, female dominance, golden-crowned sifaka, lemur, social behavior |
ISBN: |
1098-2361 |
Abstract:
The activity patterns and social interactions of two species of captive sifaka were observed during a 2-year period. Allogrooming was not observed in golden-crowned sifaka and they spent significantly more time resting than the Coquerel’s sifaka. Females of both species were found to be dominant to males. The golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) spent significantly less time feeding than the Coquerel’s sifaka. Temperature, time of day, species, and interpair comparisons for the golden-crowned sifaka were found to affect activity and social interactions, while gender did not. Like the Coquerel’s sifaka, the golden-crowned sifaka was found to be diurnal; however, they differed in that the golden-crowned sifaka did not descend to the ground. Zoo Biol. 35:128–136, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.