Attacks on neonates by a male mangabey (Cercocebus atys)

Aggressive behavior by an adult male toward selected infants and their mothers was observed during a long-term study of reproduction in a captive social group of sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys). The highest-ranking adult male in this group was observed to attack and bite three neonates out of a total of 13 infants born in 1982. All three attacks were directed attacks in which infants were grabbed from their mothers and bitten in the head. The first infant was fatally injured; the other two probably would have sustained fatal wounds had the male's canines not been blunted beforehand and had observers not intervened. The attacks were preceded by a pattern in which the male persistently stalked or chased the mother-infant pairs, a behavior first observed in the hours immediately following parturition. Unlike attacks in wild baboon groups following male immigration, these attacks on infants occurred in a stable social group in which the male attacker had been a lifelong resident. This male, however, had gained alpha rank only 3 months before attacking the first infant. These attacks, in the context of other evidence of aggression and wounding, are discussed relative to current models of infanticide in primates.     

Infant carrying by adult male mangabeys (Cercocebus atys)

Sixty-five interactions where an adult male carried an infant in the proximity of a second male were observed during a 19-mo period in a captive sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) social group. The behavior was distributed nonrandomly in both the adult male and infant classes. In all but three of the interactions, the recently deposed alpha male carried an infant in the presence of the newly ascendant dominant male. In the first phase of the study, infants that were carried included the entire unweaned infant cohort (n = 5) born before the rank reversal. The rate of carrying in this class declined as a function of increasing infant age and time since the rank reversal. Infant carrying was not observed in the context of fighting, which was rare, and intermale aggression never preceded the behavior. However, in 40% of the cases, carrying occurred after an infant had been threatened by the dominant male. These results suggest that infant carrying served to protect the infant from aggression rather than to exploit the infant as an agonistic buffer. The data did not unequivocally support the postulate that carrying may be a form of paternal care since paternity could not be assessed. The similar structural and contextual patterns of infant carrying in this species suggest a common origin for triadic male-infant interactions in mangabeys and baboons.     

Alteration of the menstrual cycle in baboons placed on tethering devices and moved to individual housing--a stress model for a follicular phase defect

BACKGROUND: During an attempt to identify endocrine characteristics in the baboon that would more precisely predict ovulatory status for assisted reproductive techniques, we observed severe alterations in the menstrual cycle length upon introducing an environmental stress. This environmental stress involved moving animals from their baseline gang cage environment to individual indoor caging and placing them on a tethering apparatus. METHODS: Five adult female baboons were followed for changes in sex skin indicative of menstrual cycle timing and move from outdoor gang gages to individual indoor cages during the early follicular phase of their cycle. A tether device including a surgically implanted cannula was then installed to facilitate daily blood draws without sedation. Radioimmuonoassays were performed to monitor serum estradiol levels and lapraroscopic surveillance was used to confirm time of ovulation. RESULTS: Complete data sets were collected from four of the female baboons. In each case, a prolongation of the menstrual cycle was noted either during the cycle during which the females were moved to indoor caging or during the cycle immediately following the move. This prolongation was isolated to the follicular phase of the affected cycle. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that otherwise normal handling procedures, including movement to new caging, and/or installation of a tether device, can impart a stress effect on reproductively cycling adult female baboons, such that folliculogenesis is delayed.     

Sex differences in behavior of endangered mangabeys (Cercocebus galeritus chrysogaster)

Six adult golden-bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus galeritus chrysogaster) displayed sex differences in aggression, grooming, and vocalization. These sex differences persisted across different current living conditions, time in captivity, rearing conditions, presence of offspring, and active mating conditions. The sex differences are evidently quite robust.     

Factors affecting pair compatibility in captive kangaroo rats,Dipodomys heermanni

Captive propagation is a critical component of the Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat Recovery Plan, but past attempts to breed this and other kangaroo rat species have had mixed success. In three experiments using a closely related surrogate species, the Lompoc kangaroo rat, we evaluated the effects of familiarity and long-term housing experience on the behavior of captive males and females during dyadic encounters in an attempt to devise husbandry methods most conducive to reproduction. Females exhibited less aggression with and were more likely to allow physical contact with familiar males, provided the males had had previous social experience, such as that provided by living in close sensory contact with female conspecifics. Socialized males (those housed adjacent to females, separated from them by a wire mesh screen) were cautious, rather than persistent, when interacting with unfamiliar or anestrous females. Males housed in isolation from conspecifics were persistent whether or not they were familiar to the female. Pairs with very long periods of familiarity exhibited more nonaggressive contact than newly acquainted pairs. Results suggest that housing structures allowing longterm sensory contact between potential mates may improve breeding success in kangaroo rats and other solitary, aggressive species. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Hand-raising a philippine tarsier,Tarsius syrichta

An infant female tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) weighing 20 g at birth was removed for hand-raising at 1 day of age. The infant was maintained in an incubator (32°C, 80% humidity), and fed every 2–3 hours for the first 10 days of life. The infant received a varied formula for the first 4 days. Esbilac (3.3–8.0 cc daily) was given for days 5–10. From days 11 to 67 the infant was fed 6.5–8.0 cc of formula seven times daily. A liver fortified formula was introduced on day 53. Birthweight doubled by day 41 and tripled by day 101. The animals first successful jump was observed at day 25. On day 68 she captured and ate her first live prey. Introduction to adult tarsiers began on day 60. This is the first successful hand-raising of any species of tarsier, which is a genus that reproduces poorly in captivity.     

Cage restraints for rhinoceroses

Captive breeding programs for the rhinoceros can be enhanced by studying their reproductive physiology. To do so requires repetitive manipulations under physically controlled circumstances. To facilitate these procedures, zoos throughout the world have constructed restraint devices, or chutes. Chute designs are usually determined by the space in which they are to be situated and the budget available for their construction. In this study, eight chute designs at seven institutions were compared for efficiency in controlling rhinoceroses during ultrasonography, semen collection, and blood sampling. Procedures were conducted on 16 rhinoceroses of four species: the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum), the black (Diceros bicornis), the greater one-horned Asian (Rhinoceros unicornis), and the Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Chutes were evaluated for dimensions, fabricating materials, procedures to be attempted, and structural features such as shoulder restraints. Permanent, indoor, side-adjustable, pass-through chutes were determined to be the most efficient and convenient type because they saved time and reduced stress on the animals. Zoo Biol 17:343–359, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Nursing parameters in captive killer whales (Orcinus orca)

We examined nursing behaviors for a population of captive‐born killer whales (four females, three males) at SeaWorld parks from birth until 90 days of age. Nursing parameters examined included cumulatives of suckles per day, bouts per day, and suckle duration (seconds) per day. Daily cumulatives of all nursing parameters peaked within the first 2 days after birth then decreased through time. For the ages from birth until 42 days, data were converted using log_e‐log_e transformations to allow linear regression modeling. Since these parameters were characterized by autocorrelation, bootstrapping was used to obtain parameter estimates for comparisons between sexes and cow parity. Both males and females, as well as calves born to primiparous and multiparous cows, exhibited similar nursing patterns. However, there were statistically significant differences (α < 0.05) between the regression equations among most of the nursing parameters examined. Cumulative frequencies and amounts from birth through 42 days of age for all nursing parameters were examined. Means were statistically similar (α > 0.05) between genders (means[sd] for males and females, respectively; suckles 3,772.7[412.4] and 3,276.3[1,226.5]; bouts 1,238.3[189.0] and 1,103.3[96.4]; suckle duration [seconds] 28,990.7[5,861.9] and 29,233.0[5,255.0]) and cow parity (means[sd] for primiparous and multiparous, respectively; suckles 4,459.0[606.7] and 3,101.0[753.8]; bouts 1,240.0[243.3] and 1,129.6[116.2]; suckle duration [seconds] 32,415.0[5,212.8] and 27,814.8[4854.5]). Equal amounts of nursing occurred from both left and right mammary glands for the 42‐day time period (means[sd] [seconds] for left and right, respectively; 13,800.4[2,787.0] and 15,328.7[2,471.0]; P = 0.30). Zoo Biol 18:373–384, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.