Long-tailed macaques avoid conflicts during short-term crowding

Abstract

Crowding has been viewed as a factor eliciting increased levels of aggression and tension in gregarious animals. The present study tested predictions derived from two models, the “density/aggression” model and the “active coping” model, which have been proposed to explain the responses of primates to crowding. In particular, we investigated the responses of a well-established group of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to short-term crowding. The group was periodically crowded for 2-3 hr into a familiar area. Control observations were carried out when the monkeys were in a six times larger enclosure. Data from 42 individuals belonging to different age-sex classes showed that only mild forms of aggression increased under the crowded condition. Crowding also resulted in a decrease in counteraggression, allogrooming, playing, and exploring the environment, while it produced an increase in huddling with companions. The frequency of reconciliation and redirection was not affected by crowding. These findings do not support either of the models but suggest that macaques adopt a “conflict-avoidance strategy” during short-term crowding. They reduce the risk of severe aggression in an environment where interindividual distances are small by simply decreasing the level of activity. Interestingly, however, when aggression occurs during crowding, tension reduction mechanisms such as reconciliation and redirection are used as often as in control conditions. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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