The Role of Non‐reproductive Helpers in Infant Care in Captive Callithrix jacchus

Maria Emília Yamamoto · Hilary O. Box

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Primate Behavior and Ecology Animal Behavior and Reproduction Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies

Abstract

Abstract Callitrichids have been proposed as communal breeders, with non‐reproductive animals acting as helpers. Reports in the literature attest to the high variability in the behaviour of helpers. The present study assessed four proximate factors involved in helping in captive Callithrix jacchus: age, gender and experience of helpers and composition of their groups. Forty‐eight helpers from 15 families from Natal (Brazil) and Reading (UK) colonies were observed during the first 4 weeks of life of new‐born twins. Infant carrying, transfers and retrieval, and duration of carrying bouts were registered. Results showed that the presence of helpers decreased the costs of infant carrying, with a negatively significant correlation between group size and mean percentage of carrying. Age, but not gender, was a significant factor for infant carrying, transfers and retrieval, and mean duration of carrying bouts, with older helpers contributing more than younger ones. Singletons and oldest non‐reproductive offspring carried infants more, and longer, than twins and offspring with older siblings present in the group. Experience decreased motivation and actual carrying time, but not to a significant level. Age, experience and group composition appeared important factors in the display of infant care by helpers in captive Callithrix jacchus.

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References

1981Ecology and behavior of neotropical primates 1982Natural selection and social behavior 1984The ecological role of the callitrichidae: A review 1973Maternal-Fetal Weight Relationships in Primates 1984A Preliminary Field Study of the Moustached Tamarin Monkey (Saguinus mystax) in Northeastern Peru: Questions Concerned with the Evolution of a Communal Breeding System 1995Infant care, infanticide, and female reproductive strategies in polygynous groups of common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus )1993Behavioural evidence for monopolization of paternity in multi-male groups of golden lion tamarins 1977Interactions between parents and infants, and the development of independence in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

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