Life history of male Japanese macaques living on Koshima Islet |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Akio?MoriEmail author Kunio?Watanabe |
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Institution: | (1) Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan, |
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Abstract: | In the study of Japanese macaques, two types of male transfer between groups, defined by the age of transfer and known as
bottom- or top-rank transfer, have received much attention, whereas the meaning of the period of solitary life has received
very little. Male solitary life has been regarded simply as a transient state between group transfer. We found that male solitary
life is restricted to a specific period in the life history of Japanese macaques living on Koshima Islet. This period started
when the body weights of males and females began to diverge and ended when the body weight increase of males had stopped.
Solitary lifestyle is related to the growth of adolescent and post-adolescent males. We hypothesize that a solitary lifestyle
is a necessary step for adolescent and post-adolescent males to achieve their full adult growth by avoiding feeding competition
with others, especially with adult females. Increments of body weight increase between 3 and 15 years were larger for the
sons of lower- and middle-rank females than for those of higher-ranking females. Although the sons of lower- plus middle-ranking
females grew later, they achieved a full adult body weight similar to that of sons of higher-ranking females by the age of
15. We believe that this body weight increase was achieved because of the solitary lifestyle of adolescent and post-adolescent
males. Correlation between male body weight and life-span was found for body weights at 12 years, but no correlation was evident
at 6 years.
Electronic Publication |
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Keywords: | Macaca fuscata Male intertroop transfer Life history Body weight Life-span |
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