The establishment and reproduction of a group of semifree-ranging mandrills

Publication Type:
Journal Article
Year of Publication:
1992
Authors:
Anna T. C. Feistner, Robert W. Cooper, Siǎn Evans
Publication/Journal:
Zoo Biology
Publisher:
A Wiley Company, Inc., Wiley Subscription Services
Keywords:
, ,
ISBN:
1098-2361
Abstract:

Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430110605.abs Mandrills, Mandrillus sphinx, colorful terrestrial primates from the tropical forests of West Central Africa, are poorly known in the wild. The formation at the International Medical Research Center of Franceville, Gabon, of a semifreeranging, cohesive, reproducing group of mandrills in a highly naturalistic setting provided a unique resource for the study of this threatened species. The acquisition and release of 15 mandrills into a 1.4 ha and then a 5.3 ha enclosure of natural gallery forest is described. Thirty-three births in the group resulted in 23 surviving offspring over a period of six years. Apparent early reproduction in females was indicated by small size at conception, presence of several deciduous teeth at the time of first parturition, continued weight gain through subsequent births, and decreasing inter-birth intervals. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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