Abstract
The behavior of 8 nursery/peer-reared and 16 mother-only reared rhesus macaques was observed between birth and 5 months of age, with follow-up studies conducted when the animals were 10–21 months old and living in large social groups. Nursery-reared neonates were more awake, active, and irritable than mother-only reared monkeys. From 1 to 5 months of age the nursery/peer-reared animals exhibited a greater variety of behaviors than the mother-only reared infants, which spent the majority of the time in ventral contact with mothers. As juveniles the groups were indistinguishable with the exception of more self-directed behaviors observed in the nursery/peer-reared monkeys. Both rearing conditions, by virtue of their atypicality, imposed restrictions on social development. The behavioral similarity of the juveniles while in the large social group may be a function of maturation or due to the rehabilitative effect of the large social group.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Baysinger, C. M., E. M. Brandt, &G. Mitchell, 1972. Development of infant social isolate monkeys (Macaca mulatta) in their isolation environments.Primates, 13: 257–270.
Berkson, G., 1967. Abnormal stereotyped acts. In:Comparative Psychopathology,J. Zubin &H. F. Hunt (eds.), Grune & Stratton, New York, pp. 76–94.
Berman, C. M., 1980. Mother-infant relationships among free-ranging rhesus monkeys on Cayo Santiago: A comparison with captive pairs.Anim. Behav., 28: 860–873.
Chamove, A. S., L. A. Rosenblum, &H. F. Harlow, 1973. Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) raised only with peers: A pilot study.Anim. Behav., 21: 316–325.
Champoux, M., B. Metz, &S. J. Suomi, 1989. Housing nonreproductive rhesus macaques with weanlings: I. Behavior of adult toward weanlings.Lab. Prim. Newsl., 28: 1–4.
———— &S. J. Suomi, 1988. Behavioral development of nursery-reared rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) neonates.Inf. Behav. Develop., 11: 367–371.
Harlow, H. F., M. K. Harlow, &E. W. Hansen, 1963. The maternal affectional system of rhesus monkeys. In:Maternal Behavior of Mammals,H. L. Rheingold (ed.), Wiley, New York, pp. 254–281.
————,W. D. Joslyn, M. G. Senko, &A. Dopp, 1966. Behavioral aspects of reproduction in primates.J. Anim. Sci., 25: 49–67.
Ruppenthal, G. C., 1979. Survey of protocols for nursery-rearing infant macaques. In:Nursery Care of Nonhuman Primates,G. C. Ruppenthal (ed.), Plenum, New York, pp. 165–185.
————,G. L. Arling, H. F. Harlow, G. P. Sackett, &S. J. Suomi, 1976. A 10-year perspective of motherless-mother monkey behavior.J. Abn. Psychol., 85: 341–349.
————,C. G. Walker, &G. P. Sackett, 1991. Rearing infant monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) in pairs produces deficient social development compared with rearing in single cages.Amer. J. Primatol., 25: 103–113.
Suomi, S. J., H. F. Harlow, &C. J. Domek, 1970. Effect of repetitive infant-infant separation of young monkeys.J. Abn. Psychol., 76: 161–172.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Champoux, M., Metz, B. & Suomi, S.J. Behavior of nursery/peer-reared and mother-reared rhesus monkeys from birth through 2 years of age. Primates 32, 509–514 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381941
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381941