A case of infanticide in a recently found gelada population in Arsi, Ethiopia |
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Authors: | Akio Mori Toshitaka Iwamoto Afework Bekele |
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Institution: | (1) Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin, Inuyama, 484 Aichi, Japan;(2) Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Miyazaki University, 889-21 Miyazaki, Japan;(3) Biology Department, Science Faculty, Addis Abeba University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia |
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Abstract: | There have been no reports of infanticide in wild gelada baboons and it has been argued that infanticide is not necessary
in geladas, since the birth interval of female gelada can be shortened after takeover of a unit by a new leader male without
infanticide. However, we observed an instance of infanticide in a newly-found wild gelada population in the Arsi Region of
Ethiopia.
After a leader male of the unit was severely wounded by a leopard attack, he was quite weakened. The second male of the unit,
a young adult male, became the leader of the unit three weeks later, but the former leader continued to stay in the unit as
a second male. After a week, two other adult males joined the unit which, therefore, came to include four adult males. The
infanticide took place nine days later. The perpetrator was one of the immigrant males and he showed great interest in the
mother of the unweaned victim infant. Although the perpetrator copulated with her after the infanticide, the usurper was found
to own all three adult females after two weeks following the infanticide; i.e. the perpetrator could not own any female. The
wounded former leader showed conspicuous protective behavior towards the victim's mother and the dead infant.
One possible explanation for the occurrence of infanticide in this population of geladas is as follows. Gelada males in this
area may be able to join units more easily to form multi-male units but then have shorter tenure in the units. Facing the
unstable condition of units, they may sometimes engage in infanticide to increase their breeding opportunities, even before
becoming a leader. |
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Keywords: | Theropithecus gelada Infanticide Male takeover Leadership change |
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