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Ravindra P. Nettimi ¹, Madhur Mangalam ², Mewa Singh ³

Affiliations
1 Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411 008, IN
2 University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, US
3 University of Mysore, Mysuru 570 006, IN

Abstract

No Abstract.

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Pia Zaunmair ¹, Madhur Mangalam ², Werner Kaumanns ³, Mewa Singh ⁴, Leopold Slotta-Bachmayr ⁵

Affiliations
1 Institute of Experimental Neurogeneration, Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Strubergasse 21, 5020 Salzburg, AT
2 Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30502, US
3 LTM Research and Conservation, 37130 Gleichen, DE
4 Biopsychology Laboratory, University of Mysore, Mysore 570 006, IN
5 Wels Zoo, 4600 Wels, AT

Abstract

Lion-tailed macaques are generally considered to have more despotic than egalitarian dominance relationships; however, research lacks any conclusive evidence. In the present study, we examined dominance relationships among the females (of which the genealogical relationships were known) of a captive female-only group of lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus) during the course of introduction of a new adult male to the group at the Wels Zoo, Wels, Austria. We determined the structure of dominance hierarchy and the corresponding changes in dominance relationships, possibly mediated by an increase in sexual competition among the females. When the females were housed together without any adult male for over four months following the death of the former breeding male, the dominance hierarchy almost followed the principle of youngest ascendency. When a new male was housed for 26 days in an enclosure adjacent to that of the females (such that the females and the new male could interact with each other through a wire mesh between their enclosures), changes in dominance hierarchy were observed. During this phase, there was a temporary change in the dominance hierarchy, leading to a higher degree of aggression of the nursing female and an increase in its dominance rank. This is corroborated by the fact that when the new male was housed together with the females in the same enclosure, it resulted in infanticide and subsequently, the nursing mother lost the higher rank. We consider the implications of the present study in the captive management and breeding of long-tailed macaque.

Keywords

Captive Management, Dominance, Hierarchy, Lion-Tailed Macaque, Rank Instability.

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Madhur Mangalam ¹, Nisarg Desai ², Mewa Singh ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, US
2 Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411 008, IN
3 Biopsychology Laboratory, and Institute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysore 570 006, IN

Abstract

A consequence of the 'gold rush'-like hunch for human-like handedness in non-human primates has been that researchers have been continually analysing observations at the level of the population, ignoring the analysis at the level of an individual and, consequently, have potentially missed revelations on the forms and functions of manual asymmetries. Recently, consecutive studies on manual asymmetries in bonnet macaques, Macaca radiata revealed both the functional and adaptive significance of manual asymmetries respectively, and pointed towards the division of labour as being the general principle underlying the observed hand-usage patterns. We review the studies on manual asymmetries in capuchin monkeys, Cebus spp. and argue that the observed hand-usage patterns might reflect specialization of the two hands for accomplishing tasks that require different dexterity types (i.e. manoeuvring in three-dimensional space or physical strength). To this end, we do a step-by-step analysis of the various tasks used in the studies on manual asymmetries in capuchin monkeys. We then describe the division of labour as a general principle underlying manual asymmetries in non-human primates and propose experimental designs that would elaborate the forms and functions of manual asymmetries in non-human primates and the associated adaptive value.

Keywords

Division of Labour, Hand Performance and Preference, Laterality, Manual Asymmetry, Non-Human Primates.

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Dorothee Classen ¹, Stefanie Kiessling ², Madhur Mangalam ³, Werner Kaumanns ⁴, Mewa Singh ⁵

Affiliations
1 Haidhauser Str. 16, 81675 Muenchen, DE
2 Tiergarten Ulm (Zoological Garden Ulm), Friedrichsau 40, 89073 Ulm, DE
3 Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, US
4 LTM Research and Conservation, Eschenweg 5, 37130, Gleichen, DE
5 Biopsychology Laboratory, and Institute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysore 570 006, IN

Abstract

The present study investigates how the 'fission-fusion-adapted' bonobos and Bornean orangutans manage social relationships when kept under permanent group-living conditions. Our results showed that the bonobos and orangutans did not differ in the overall frequency of dyadic interactions. The orangutans evidently realized a potential to interact with partners, which on a surface did not differ from what was found in the bonobos. However, the bonobos spent more time on sociopositive interactions, especially on grooming and sit in contact, whereas the orangutans agonistically interacted with each other more often. Though frequencies of approaching were similar between the two species, orangutans actively left the proximity to a partner more often than the bonobos, which in turn were more often in spatial proximity. The three groups of bonobos housed under different conditions differed from each other for sociopositive and agonistic interactions. The orangutans differed for agonistic but not for sociopositive interactions. As a striking difference between the species, it appeared that between subadult/adult orangutans, behaviours which required prolonged body contact occurred only rarely and briefly. Differences in bonding patterns have been discussed as a possible explanatory factor. The 'short and distant nature' of interactions between adult orangutans suggests the existence of social relationships, the management of which requires less 'servicing behaviours'. Subadult/adult orangutans may be less attracted by each other than individuals in more gregarious species: they may have the cognitive skills to interact, but may not be motivated to stay together for long.

Keywords

Bonobo, Orangutan, Dyadic Interactions, Fission–Fusion Species, Spatial Proximity.

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Madhur Mangalam ¹, Callum F. Ross ², Patrícia Izar ³, Elisabetta Visalberghi ⁴, Dorothy M. Fragaszy ⁵

Affiliations
1 Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, US
2 Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, US
3 Department of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-020, BR
4 Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, 44-00185 Rome, IT
5 Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, US

Abstract

Among primates, prehensile/semi-prehensile tails have evolved independently in the families Atelidae and Cebidae of the infraorder Platyrrhini (Neotropical monkeys). They facilitate maintaining stability during locomotion on thin, flexible branches and while reaching for food on challenging substrates. How a prehensile/semi-prehensile tail is coordinated with the hind limbs to facilitate controlled, flexible adoption of postures remains unknown. In an experimental set-up in the wild, we induced capuchin monkeys to adopt a tail-assisted, head-down tripodal posture to reach for food, documenting from slow-motion video recordings (120 fps) both qualitative changes in the monkeys’ positional behaviour – the relative orientation of their limbs and semi-prehensile tail – and quantitative changes in the left knee angle. The monkeys coordinated their tail and hind limbs in an online manner by preparing to anchor the tail over a substrate when beginning to adopt a tail-assisted, head-down, tripodal posture, but anchoring it only at the moment when they extended their hand to grasp the food. Coordination of their semi-prehensile tail with their limbs enables these capuchin monkeys to adjust their posture more flexibly compared to anchoring their tail over a substrate in anticipation and subsequently changing posture.

Keywords

Left Knee Angle, Locomotion, Prehensility, Sapajus libidinosus, Tail Cantilever Length, Tropodal Posture.

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