Triadic interactions among Macaca radiata: Passports and buffers.

Male members of a group of captive Macaca radiata at the California Primate Research Center held and carried infants as they approached or were approached by higher-ranking males and as they were threatened by other males. Male infants between the ages of 25 and 84 weeks were involved in triadic interactions more frequently than were female infants of any age or male infants of other ages. That males were less likely to be harassed while huddling with or embracing infants suggested that infants provided an effective buffer against aggression.