In the genus
Macaca, the fourth month after birth is one of transition periods in mother-infant separation, and this separation is much promoted in the tenth month. This study was conducted to clarify the mother's and the ten-month-old infant's behavioral characteristics on the reunion after separation period for six month.
The subjects used in the study were twenty pairs of cynomolgus monkeys (
Macaca fascicularis), ten pairs of mother and her own infant, and ten of mother and the other infant. The other infants were as old as own infants (Table 1).
Mothers' positive behavior to own infants in the moment of reunion was observed in seven mothers, and negative behavior was not observed. Positive or negative behavior to the other infants were observed in two or six mothers respectively (Table 2). Mothers' threat was tend to occur more frequently to the other infants than to own infants (Fig. 1), and occur vigorously from the first of the reunion to the other infants (Fig. 2).
In own infants, dangling to the top of the cage was less and food-taking behavior was more than those in the other infants (Fig. 3). It seemed that the other infants tend to take more time to get familiar with mothers than own infants. Fear-grimace and lip-smacking of the other infants were more frequent than those of own infants, and these behavior occur more frequently in female than in male (Fig. 4).
These results show that in cynomolgus monkeys, mothers can distinguish their own infants from the other infants even after separation period for six months, and that in behavior patterns to mothers at the moment of the reunion, there are differences between own infants and the other infants, also between male and female.
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