Ostner Julia
Verhaltensforschung und Okologie, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Göttingen, Germany.
Folia Primatol (Basel). 2002 Jul-Aug;73(4):175-80. doi: 10.1159/000065425.
Pronounced seasonality, with temperatures dropping as low as 5 degrees C during the dry season, has led to the hypothesis that Malagasy lemurs face cold stress and respond to this by inactivity and social thermoregulation, i.e. resting in tight body contact with conspecifics. Compared to anthropoids, lemur groups are comprised of an unusually high number of males, leading to an even or slightly male-biased adult sex ratio. According to one hypothesis, females may benefit from these surplus males in their groups if males huddle with females. The results of this study on redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus) in Kirindy Forest, Madagascar revealed that the animals indeed responded to cold ambient temperatures by increased inactivity and the formation of huddling groups. However, surplus males did not participate more frequently than expected in huddling groups with females and females do not, therefore, benefit from the high number of males in their groups by increased social thermoregulation.
明显的季节性变化，旱季气温低至5摄氏度，这引发了一种假设，即马达加斯加狐猴面临寒冷压力，并通过不活动和社会体温调节来应对，也就是与同种个体紧密身体接触休息。与类人猿相比，狐猴群体中雄性数量异常多，导致成年性别比例持平或略偏向雄性。根据一种假设，如果雄性与雌性挤在一起，雌性可能会从群体中这些多余的雄性中受益。这项对马达加斯加基林迪森林红额狐猴（Eulemur fulvus rufus）的研究结果表明，这些动物确实通过增加不活动和形成挤作一团的群体来应对寒冷的环境温度。然而，多余的雄性在与雌性挤作一团的群体中的参与频率并不比预期的更高，因此，雌性无法通过增加社会体温调节从群体中大量的雄性中受益。
