PARENTAL BEHAVIOR

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PARENTAL BEHAVIOR
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The first social interactions of a newborn
primate are with mother. The mountain gorilla is
very careful to support her young infant as it
clings to her. All primates seek contact with
mother as soon as they are born -- and most are
able to cling on their own within a day or two of
birth.
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• Unlike many other animals, primates do not leave
  their infants in a nest or other protected area.
  Instead, mothers carry their infants wherever
  they go. Infants may cling to the belly or, as
  this young uakari is doing, ride on mother's
  back.
• Scientific name Cacajao calvusuakari --
  wah-CAR-ee

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• Contact with the mother is an important first
  social experience for humans, too.

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• Although all primates live in social groups, the
  nature of those groups differs between species.
  Group size, the number of adult males and adult
  females, and who does most of the breeding all
  vary between species.

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• The siamangs shown here live in a family unit
  consisting of an adult male, adult female and
  their young offspring. This is similar to the
  basic living unit of many humans -- mom, dad and
  the kids.
• Family group of siamangs showing adult male
  (top), adult female (middle) and their offspring
  (bottom).
• Scientific name Symphalangus syndactylussiamangs
  -- SI-a-mangs

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• Other primates live in groups with only one adult
  male and several adult females plus their
  offspring. In a gorilla group the adult male,
  called a silverback, fathers the offspring of all
  the females living with him.

Group of mountain gorillas in African forest.
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• Multi-male groups are also common among the
  primates. Chimpanzee bands are made up of several
  adults of both sexes and their offspring. Such
  bands are temporary associations of animals who
  live in a larger community. Relationships between
  adult males are very important in these groups.

Three male chimpanzees sit together. Photo taken
in a zoo group.Scientific name Pan troglodytes
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PLAY
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• All primates play. Here a group of lemurs engage
  in the most common form of play. This activity,
  characterized by chasing and wrestling, is called
  rough-and-tumble play. It seems to allow young
  animals to learn their own strengths and
  weaknesses, as well as that of their peers.

Group of ring-tailed lemurs wrestling.Scientific
name Lemur cattalemurs -- LEE-mers
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• For most primates, play involves physical
  contact. Here are two chimpanzees wrestling.

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• Gorillas like to wrestle too

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• Social play occurs when two or more individuals
  engage in a behavior that has no apparent serious
  purpose, although it may resemble the behaviors
  used by adults in their social lives. Humans
  often call this playing games.

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• Knowing the intentions of other group members is
  vitally important to social animals. Primates use
  all the senses -- sight, smell, hearing, taste
  and touch -- in communicating with each other.

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• All primates rely heavily on vision to explore
  their world. It is not surprising that facial
  expressions are an important communication tool.
  The youngest animals quickly learn to recognize
  the play face. The rhesus macaques, shown here
  with mouth open, demonstrate the play face seen
  in all monkeys, apes, and even humans at play.

Two rhesus monkeys wrestle.The animal on top
(with head upside down) shows the open mouth play
face.Scientific name Macaca mulattarhesus
macaques - REE-sus ma-KACKS
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• Primates are also very good at communicating when
  they are not happy about a social interaction.
  Here another rhesus monkey screams and grins.
  This bared teeth expression is usually shown by
  the loser in a less-than-friendly encounter.

A mother rhesus macaque at center with her
offspring responds to threats from two other
monkeys.
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• Many primate species have unusual faces. This
  golden snub-nosed monkey from China shows an
  eye-catching combination of contrasting facial
  colors.

Closeup of face of a golden snub-nosed
monkey.The flaps of skin at the corners of the
mouth are a normal facial feature of adult males
in this species.
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• The bow is a sign of submission that indicates to
  the animal receiving it that he or she is
  dominant. Most primate groups have a dominance
  hierarchy. Lower ranking animals can avoid fights
  with higher ranking animals by performing a
  formal sign of submission, such as a bow, when
  tensions are high.

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• Primate body language can be very impressive.
  Here an adult male chimpanzee, on the left,
  stands with all his hair on end. This is called
  piloerection -- it makes an animal look larger to
  the nearby audience.

Three chimpanzees in a zoo enclosure. The adult
male on the left facing the camera is getting
ready to run by the animals on the right.
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• These lemurs are using another kind of body
  language -- signaling with their tails in the
  air. Tail position can communicate alertness and
  self-confidence.

Three ring-tailed lemurs from a captive group
stand with tails in 'question mark' position.
Animals are wearing identification collars.
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• Body language is also important in humans. A
  hand-shake is a common expression of goodwill
  between people.

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• Primates use their sense of smell to communicate,
  too. Here a sifaka leaves a scent mark on a tree.

A sifaka (related to the lemurs) rubs a
scent-producing anal gland against the bark of a
tree.Scientific name Propithecus
verreauxisifaka -- sih-FAHK-ah
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• Most primates live in forests, and are able to
  produce some calls that carry long distances,
  such as hooting by this chimpanzee. Softer sounds
  are used when group members are near each other.
  Humans use sound to communicate when they talk.

Adult male chimpanzee stands bipedally and hoots.
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• Touch is a very important sense for primates.
  Social animals have many friendly interactions
  throughout the day -- and most involve some form
  of touch. Mothers and infants spend a lot of time
  in contact, as do play partners, sexual partners,
  and other members of a social group.

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• An adult female stumptail macaque presents to an
  adult male. He responds by touching her rear, and
  visually inspecting it for signs that she is in
  her fertile period and thus ready to mate.

An adult female stumptail macaque presents her
genital area to an adult male. He will look,
smell, touch and even taste her secretions to
learn if she is ready to mate.Primates rely on
many signals to determine the reproductive state
of animals of the opposite sex.
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• The female Japanese macaque reaches back and
  looks at her partner during their mating.

Later in the same sequence, the female Japanese
macaque looks over her shoulder at the male. This
often occurs when the male ejaculates.
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• Physical contact between animals is a part of
  most friendly interactions in primates. Here two
  Japanese macaques sit together in close contact

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• Social grooming not only helps animals keep
  clean it reinforces bonds between related
  animals and other members of a social group.

Three long-tailed macaques sit together. The
adult female in the center grooms a juvenile on
the right.Scientific name Macaca fascicularis
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• In a group of monkeys, such as these long-tailed
  macaques, mothers groom their infants females
  groom males males groom females older offspring
  groom their mother. All combinations of grooming
  partners are possible.

A large group of long-tailed macaques, including
some mothers holding infants on their bellies,
sit together. An adult male in the top row is
being groomed by two other animals.
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• Social animals don't always get along with the
  members of their group. Fights and other forms of
  aggression are a common occurrence in primate
  groups.

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• Staring at an opponent is often part of a threat.
  This rhesus macaque shows the open mouth threat
  face used by many species of monkey.

A female rhesus macaque holding an infant stares
off camera at an opponent.
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• Early observers of gorillas were impressed with
  their threats and displays. Here an adult male
  stands on two legs and beats his chest. This
  gained the gorilla the reputation as a very
  aggressive animal. Actually they are among the
  most peaceful of the primates.

Adult male silverback mountain gorilla stands
bipedally while displaying in an African
forest.Gorillas use a cupped hand position to
make the sound associated with chest beating.
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• Fights between groups also occur. Here members of
  two troops of green monkeys face off. Again,
  threats and displays are the most likely form of
  aggression.

Members of two groups of African green monkeys
threaten each other.Scientific name
Cercopithecus aethiops
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• All the members of a group may get involved in an
  intertroop fight. These rhesus macaques threaten
  each other. In this species, females are often at
  the front when aggressive encounters with other
  groups occur

Two large troops of rhesus monkeys threaten each
other. Notice that several females carrying
infants are in the front ranks.
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• Sometimes intergroup fights involve males only.

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• Knowing all the members of its group is important
  to a social animal. New animals may migrate into
  a group from other areas -- but most new members
  of a group are born there.

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• Everyone is interested in new babies. This adult
  male gorilla gently touches an infant.

Adult male lowland gorilla touches a young infant
in a zoo enclosure.
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• In most species, mothers do most of the child
  care. However in some species, fathers may carry
  infants most of the time. Here a tamarin male
  carries a youngster.

Adult male saddleback tamarin carries a youngster
on his back.Scientific name Saguinus
fuscicollis
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• Grandparents may also have a special interest in
  the next generation. All primates must have the
  ability to adapt to changing social
  relationships. They begin learning social skills
  at birth and continue to practice them throughout
  life.