Abstract: Patterns of aggressive and affiliative behavior, such as counter aggression and reconciliation, are said to covary in the genus Macaca; this is referred to as the systematic variation hypothesis. These behavior patterns constitute a species dominance style. Van Schaik's [1989] socioecological model explains dominance style in macaques in terms of within- and between-group contest competition. Dominance style is also said to correlate with phylogeny in macaques. The present study was undertaken to examine phylogenetic and socioecological explanations of dominance style, as well as the systematic variation hypothesis. We collected data on counter aggression and reconciliation from a habituated group of Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) at the Tukeswari Temple in Assam, India. The proportion of agonistic episodes that involved counter aggression was relatively low. Counter aggression, however, occurred more often among males than among females, and it was most common when females initiated aggression against males. The conciliatory tendency for this group of Assamese macaques was 11.2%. The frequency of reconciliation was low for fights among males and for fights among females, but reconciliation was particularly rare for opposite-sexed opponents. Female social relationships were consistent with the systematic variation hypothesis, and suggest a despotic dominance style. A despotic dominance style in Assamese macaques weakens the correlation between dominance style and phylogeny in macaques, but it is not inconsistent with the socioecological model. Male-female relationships were not well explained by the despotic-egalitarian framework, and males may well have more tolerant social relationships than do females. Sex differences need to be considered when categorizing species according to dominance style.

Abstract: It is possible that non-specialised cues transmitted by conspecifics guide animals' food search provided they have the cognitive abilities needed to read these cues. Macaques often check the mouth of their group-mates by olfactory and/or visual inspection. We investigated whether Tonkean macaques ( Macaca tonkeana) can find the location of distant food on the basis of cues conveyed by group-mates. The subjects of the study were two 6-year-old males, who belonged to a social group of Tonkean macaques raised in semi-free-ranging conditions. In a first experiment, we tested whether the subject can choose between two sites after having sniffed a partner who has just eaten food corresponding to one of the sites. We found that both subjects were able to choose the matching site significantly above the chance level. This demonstrated that Tonkean macaques are capable of delayed olfactory matching. They could associate a food location with an odour conveyed by a partner. In a second experiment, the same subjects were allowed to see their partner through a Plexiglas window. Both subjects were still able to choose the matching site, demonstrating they could rely on visual cues alone. Passive recruitment of partners appears possible in macaques. They can improve their foraging performances by finding the location of environmental resources from olfactory or visual cues conveyed by group-mates.

Abstract: Wounding in an 83-member group of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) housed at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center Field Station became excessive to the point that intervention was deemed necessary. When observations indicated that three females from the group's alpha matriline were principally responsible for the wounding, the matriline (N = 7) was removed from the group. This study was conducted to document an atypical pattern of wounding in this group and to evaluate the effectiveness of removal as a procedure for controlling injuries. The aggression rates of 21 adult subjects and the wounds of all group members were recorded before and after the removal procedure and compared with those in a similar-sized group. Removing the alpha matriline did not alter aggression rates in the group or the rank order among the remaining matrilines. Aggression rates in the experimental group were also not significantly different from those in the comparison group before or after the removal. With the alpha matriline present, wounding levels in the group were significantly higher than those in the comparison group. After removal of the matriline, the frequency of wounds decreased significantly to levels similar to those of the comparison group. The pattern of excess wounding attributed to the extracted alpha females was idiosyncratic, involving removal of large patches of skin from the hindquarters of adult females or removal of the distal portion of the fingers, toes, or tail from juveniles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)