Abstract
Birth records were examined for a group of 56 Stumptail macaques that lived in an half-acre outdoor enclosure from 1971 to 1974. Approximate conception times for 33 offspring were calculated and two graphs, one for births and the other one for fertile matings were constructed. Although births occurred throughout the year, 48.5% or these took place between June and September with a peak in July and August (39.4%). Two secondary peaks, one between February and April (27.3%) and the other in November (12.1%) were noted. Fertile matings also took place throughout the year but 56.6% were concentrated between January and June with a peak in January and February (30.3%). A secondary peak was observed for September (12.1%). The data show that no discrete seasonality in matings and births is present forMacaca arctoides but that an unusual pattern consisting of three peaks throughout the year, for births, may be typical of the species. The data are compared with data on the taxonomically close Japanese macaque and a striking dissimilarity is found. While thefuscata macaque has discrete breeding seasonality, thearctoides macaque breeds and gives birth throughout the year and its pattern is more similar to that of the distantly related Crab-eating macaque.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, B. K., 1970. Parental behaviour of adult male Japanese monkeys.Behaviour, 36: 271–285.
Bernstein, I. S., 1972. Daily activity cycles and weather influences on a Pigtail monkey group.Folia primat., 18: 390–415.
Bertrand, M., 1969.The Behavioral Repertoire of the Stumptail Macaque. Bibliotheca Primatologica., No. 11, S. Karger, Basel, Switzerland.
Burton, F. D., 1972. The integration of biology and behaviour in the socialization ofMacaca sylvana of Gibraltar. In:Primate Socialization,Frank E. Poirier (ed.), Random House Inc., New York, pp. 29–62.
Furuya, Y., 1965. Social organization of the Crab-eating monkey.Primates, 6: 285–336.
Hanby, J. P., L. T. Robertson, &C. H. Phoenix, 1971. The sexual behaviour of a confined troop of Japanese macaques.Folia primat., 16: 123–143.
Koford, C. B., 1963. Group relations in an island colony of rhesus monkeys. In:Primate Social Behavior,C. H. Southwick (ed.), Princeton, N. J., D. van Nostrand Company, pp. 136–152.
Lancaster, J. B. &R. B. Lee, 1965. The annual reproductive cycle in monkeys and apes. In:Primate Behaviour, Chapter 14,I. DeVore (ed.), Holt, Rinehart, & Winston Inc., New York, pp. 486–513.
MacDonald, G. J., 1971. Reproductive patterns of three species of macques.Fertility & Sterility. 22: 373–377.
Ming-Tsung Peng, Yih-Loong Lai, Czau-Siung Yang, Her-Shyang Chiang, Albert E. New, &Chieh-Pao Chang, 1973. Reproductive parameters of the Taiwan monkey (Macaca cyclopis).Primates, 14: 201–213.
Rowell, T., 1972.The Social Behaviour of Monkeys. Kingsport Press Inc., Kingsport, Tennessee.
Simonds, P. E., 1974. Sex differences in bonnet macaque networks and social structure.Archives of Sexual Behaviour, 3(2): 151–166.
Sugiyama, Y., 1971. Characteristics of the social life of bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata).Primates, 12: 245–266.
Tokuda, K., 1961–62. A Study on the sexual behaviour in the Japanese monkey troop.Primates, 3: 1–40.
Trollope, J. &H. G. Blurton Jones, 1972. Age of sexual maturity in the stumptailed macaque (Macaca arctoides): A birth from laboratory born parents.Primates, 13: 229–230.
Washburn, S. L., P. C. Jay, &J. B. Lancaster, 1972. Field studies of old world monkeys and apes. In:Primate Patterns, Chapter 6,Phyllis Dolhinov (ed.), Holt, Rinehart, & Winston Inc., New York, pp. 246–260.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by grants from Behavioral Sciences Foundation and by NSF-#GB-42235.
About this article
Cite this article
Estrada, A., Estrada, R. Birth and breeding cyclicity in an outdoor living stumptail macaque (Macaca arctoides) group. Primates 17, 225–231 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382852
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382852