Depret Léane, Ohshima Atsuyuki, Allanic Morgane, Leca Jean-Baptiste, Gunst Noëlle, Sueur Cédric
Anthropo-Lab, ETHICS EA 7446, Université Catholique de Lille, Lille, France.
Atsuyuki Ohshima Photography, Kyoto, Japan.
Primates. 2025 Mar;66(2):221-231. doi: 10.1007/s10329-024-01174-0. Epub 2024 Dec 20.
Interspecies interactions present diverse forms and functions, contributing significantly to ecological and social dynamics. This study focuses on the mounting behaviours of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) towards Sika deer (Cervus nippon), a rare and still unexplained phenomenon, with minimal emphasis on the behaviour of the deer. Using video data from two distinct sites, Yakushima and Minoh, Japan, we documented 45 sequences of macaque-deer interactions and analysed macaques' behaviours and deer behaviours using focal and behavioural sampling techniques. We identified four primary activities performed by macaques during mountings-sexual, play, grooming, and resting-with resting being predominant. The study evaluates six hypotheses regarding the functions of these mounting behaviours: (1) interactions are sex-specific, (2) macaques use deer for transportation, (3) mutual warming through physical contact occurs, (4) deer provide support for resting, (5) macaques engage in grooming to consume parasites or play to strengthen interspecies bonds, and (6) aggressive signals relate to resource disputes or rejection of mounting behaviour. Statistical analyses using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's post-hoc test revealed significant differences between resting and other active behaviours, but no significant differences in behaviour duration between lying and sitting positions. Adults engaged in mounting for longer periods than juveniles, suggesting potential age-related differences in social and reproductive roles. These findings enhance our understanding of interspecies interactions by focusing on macaque behaviours and emphasise the need for longitudinal studies to clarify the ecological and social implications of these interactions.
种间互动呈现出多样的形式和功能，对生态和社会动态有着重大贡献。本研究聚焦于日本猕猴（Macaca fuscata）对梅花鹿（Cervus nippon）的骑跨行为，这是一种罕见且仍未得到解释的现象，对鹿的行为关注较少。利用来自日本屋久岛和箕面两个不同地点的视频数据，我们记录了45段猕猴与鹿的互动序列，并使用焦点抽样和行为抽样技术分析了猕猴和鹿的行为。我们识别出猕猴在骑跨过程中进行的四种主要活动——性行为、玩耍、梳理毛发和休息，其中休息最为常见。该研究评估了关于这些骑跨行为功能的六个假设：（1）互动具有性别特异性，（2）猕猴利用鹿进行移动，（3）通过身体接触实现相互取暖，（4）鹿为休息提供支撑，（5）猕猴通过梳理毛发来清除寄生虫或通过玩耍来加强种间联系，（6）攻击信号与资源争端或对骑跨行为的拒绝有关。使用克鲁斯卡尔 - 沃利斯检验和邓恩事后检验的统计分析表明，休息与其他活跃行为之间存在显著差异，但躺卧和坐姿的行为持续时间没有显著差异。成年猕猴骑跨的时间比幼年猕猴长，这表明在社会和生殖角色方面可能存在与年龄相关的差异。这些发现通过关注猕猴的行为增进了我们对种间互动的理解，并强调了进行纵向研究以阐明这些互动的生态和社会影响的必要性。
