Logan C J, Longino J T
SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
Braz J Biol. 2013 May;73(2):353-5. doi: 10.1590/S1519-69842013000200015.
This study examined the play behaviour in one group of coatis (Nasua narica) at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. We incidentally found adult males playing with juvenile coatis, and conducted post-hoc analyses to investigate this interaction. Coati groups consist of adult females and juveniles of both sexes until male juveniles reach two years of age and leave the band to become solitary. Adult males only tolerate juveniles for a brief period during breeding season when the males court females to mate. Outside of the breeding season, adult males are known to prey on juveniles. In this study, when adult males were present with the band, play occurred more than was expected by chance, and adult males engaged in many of these play bouts. Because the mechanisms driving infanticidal behaviour are not well understood, and adult male coatis show a range of behaviours from infanticide to highly affiliative interactions with juveniles, using coatis as a model system may elucidate mechanisms underlying infanticide.
本研究考察了哥斯达黎加拉塞尔瓦生物站的一组南美浣熊（Nasua narica）的玩耍行为。我们偶然发现成年雄性与幼年南美浣熊玩耍，并进行了事后分析以研究这种互动。南美浣熊群体由成年雌性和两性的幼年浣熊组成，直到雄性幼崽两岁时离开群体变得独居。成年雄性仅在繁殖季节的短时间内容忍幼年浣熊，此时雄性会向雌性求偶交配。在繁殖季节之外，已知成年雄性会捕食幼年浣熊。在本研究中，当成年雄性与群体在一起时，玩耍发生的频率高于偶然预期，并且成年雄性参与了许多此类玩耍回合。由于导致杀婴行为的机制尚未完全了解，并且成年雄性南美浣熊表现出从杀婴到与幼年浣熊高度亲和互动的一系列行为，因此将南美浣熊作为模型系统可能会阐明杀婴行为背后的机制。
