Mother-infant interaction and rank order in Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Our research was made observing 6 infants for a period of 6 months in a group of 13 Macaca Rhesus in captivity conditions. We pointed out that mother-infant body contact behavior in Macaca Rhesus is strictly related to the mothers' rank order. In fact, as the infants of the same age grow up, the higher is the mother's rank order, the more frequent and varied are the infants' interactions with the other members of the group and the more frequently the body contact initiatives are taken by the infants. The behaviors observed in the first months of life can be also considered as the indispensable background of the subjects' future status in the group social structure.