Hilgartner Roland, Zinner Dietmar, Kappeler Peter M
Department of Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, German Primate Centre, Göttingen, Germany.
Am J Primatol. 2008 Jan;70(1):2-11. doi: 10.1002/ajp.20410.
In this study we investigated the importance of biparental care for the evolution and/or maintenance of pair-living in red-tailed sportive lemurs (Lepilemur ruficaudatus), a nocturnal folivorous lemur. Between 2000 and 2005, we collected data on life history traits from a total of 14 radio-collared pairs of adults and their offspring in Kirindy forest, western Madagascar. Predation rate varied between years with a minimum of 0% and a maximum of 40% per year. Patterns of parental care were quantified during simultaneous focal observations of both pair-partners in 2003 and 2004. Mating activity was limited to the months of May and June, as indicated by conspicuous changes of vulval morphology and male mate guarding behavior. After a gestation length of about 5 months, which is much longer than expected for a lemur of this body mass, single infants were born in November. Lactation lasted for about 50 days. Apart from lactation, females provided infant care by warming, grooming and transporting infants orally. Infants were parked in dense vegetation while females foraged. Males were seen only rarely in proximity to infants and we found no evidence for direct infant care provided by social fathers. We conclude that the necessity of direct infant care cannot explain the evolution and/or maintenance of pair-living in Lepilemur ruficaudatus.
在本研究中，我们调查了双亲照料对于红尾嬉猴（Lepilemur ruficaudatus，一种夜行性食叶狐猴）成对生活的演化和/或维持的重要性。2000年至2005年间，我们在马达加斯加西部的基林迪森林收集了总共14对佩戴无线电项圈的成年个体及其后代的生活史特征数据。每年的捕食率有所不同，最低为0%，最高为40%。在2003年和2004年对成对配偶双方进行同步焦点观察期间，对双亲照料模式进行了量化。交配活动仅限于5月和6月，这从外阴形态的明显变化和雄性配偶守护行为可以看出。经过约5个月的妊娠期（对于这种体重的狐猴来说，妊娠期长得多），11月产下单胎幼崽。哺乳期持续约50天。除了哺乳外，雌性通过保暖、梳理毛发和用口运送幼崽来照料幼崽。雌性觅食时，幼崽被安置在茂密的植被中。很少看到雄性靠近幼崽，我们也没有发现有社会意义上的父亲提供直接幼崽照料的证据。我们得出结论，直接幼崽照料的必要性无法解释红尾嬉猴成对生活的演化和/或维持。
