抄録
Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata inhabit the Japanese archipelago where they experience markedly seasonal warm and cool temperate climates. Their reproduction and their nutritional status follow clearly seasonal patterns. Their status can be effectively evaluated based on their total body fat, but making such measurements has been difficult. In this study, the body fat of Japanese macaques was studied using Double Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). Adult males were found to have a median fat mass of 7% and adult females 9%. Using the 90th percentile as the criterion, we determined the levels of obesity in Japanese macaques as 17% in males and 27% in females. Fatness indicators (physique index and skinfold thickness) were found to correlate well with total body fat and fat mass percentage. Fat mass is estimated fairly well from these indicators. Fatness indicators change seasonally in artificially reared Japanese macaques.
