An assessment of dominance and kinship among patas monkeys

Kaplan andZucker (1980) argued that dominance and kinship do not function as important organizing features for intragroup behavior and social structure among patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas). This paper reviews the available data pertinent to this argument and concludes that dominance probably is not a reliable structural variable for captive patas, despite its clear development in most groups. In contrast, kinship is a major organizing feature that strongly affects allogrooming and other affiliative interactions, and socialization.