Social development of bonnet macaques from six months to three years of age: A longitudinal study

Observations of age-sex class associations of three young female and five young male bonnet macaques born in the spring, 1975, were taken semiannually over three years beginning in the fall, 1975. Analysis reveals several patterns: (1) both males and females show continuous decline in association with age mates; (2) solitary time of females peaks at 1.5 years after which they begin to associate with adult females; (3) solitary time of males peaks at 2.5 years after which they associate predominantly with sub-adult males; (4) both males and females showed higher association with juveniles of the same sex than of opposite sex; and (5) both males and females showed annual cycles of association with some age-sex classes. These results are best understood with reference to the natural breeding cycle of the animals and the different life histories of male and female macaques in the wild.