Abstracts » Zoology and wildlife conservation

Parenting styles of abusive mothers in group-living rhesus macaques

Article Abstract:

The maternal parenting styles of 10 abusive and non-abusive rhesus macaques were compared to assess whether abuse of infants can be interpreted as an adaptive reduction of parental expenditure or as a behavioral pathology. After observation, abusive mothers exhibited higher levels of maternal protectiveness and rejection, tended to be aggressive and received fewer contacts and approaches from other individuals. Infant abuse was accompanied by higher parental expenditure in the offspring. These findings suggested that infant abuse is a form of behavioral pathology in rhesus macaques.

Aggressive behavior in animals, Animal aggression

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Maternal encouragement of infant locomotion in pigtail macaques, Macaca nemestrina

Article Abstract:

The pigtail macaque mothers use puckers with contact breaking and leaving to encourage their infants to walk independently and make physical contacts. These mothers pucker to their offsprings when not in physical contact and encourage them to decrease the distance between them. The infants' initiative to lessen the distance between them increases with age. The pucker is related to the increase in the distance initiated by the mother and to the frequent leaving of infants by their mothers. Multiparous mothers exhibit frequent puckering compared to primiparous mothers.

Animal locomotion, Pig-tailed macaque

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First steps in the macaque world: do rhesus mothers encourage their infants' independent locomotion?

Article Abstract:

The study on rhesus macaque, Macaca mulatta, reveals that some mothers earnestly encourage their infants' independent locomotion and maternal encouragement is sensitive to infant competence. Encouraged infants show some locomotive abilities earlier in life than they would have without maternal encouragement. The tendency among mothers to break contact with their infants increases remarkably with earlier reproductive experience.

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