Treves A
Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1997 Sep;104(1):47-70. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199709)104:1<47::AID-AJPA4>3.0.CO;2-A.
Pelage coloration of infants was compiled for 138 species of primates. Three functional hypotheses--alloparental, infant defense, and paternity cloak--for primate natal coats are tested. Neonatal pelage contrasted with adult pelage in over half of the species examined. Subtle or inconspicuous contrast was more common than flamboyant contrast. Natal coats began to change at 5.7 weeks and disappeared by 18.0 weeks postpartum on average. The first body part to lose natal coloration was the head and/or dorsum in the majority of species. Functional analyses provided no support for the only published hypothesis--alloparental--while providing partial support for two new hypotheses--infant defense and paternity cloak. A significant association between testes weight and natal coat contrast supports a link between mating system and infant contrast. This is discussed in terms of infanticide avoidance. Natal coats are proposed to be categorically differentiated into inconspicuous and flamboyant types, not differentiated by a continuous gradation, such as color. Subspecific differentiation and patterns of shared ancestry are assessed.
对138种灵长类动物的幼崽毛发颜色进行了汇编。对灵长类动物出生时毛发的三种功能假说——异亲照料、幼崽防御和父权伪装——进行了测试。在所研究的一半以上物种中，新生幼崽的毛发与成年个体的毛发形成对比。细微或不明显的对比比显眼的对比更为常见。出生时的毛发平均在产后5.7周开始变化，到18.0周时消失。在大多数物种中，身体上最先褪去出生时毛发颜色的部位是头部和/或背部。功能分析没有为唯一已发表的假说——异亲照料——提供支持，却为两个新假说——幼崽防御和父权伪装——提供了部分支持。睾丸重量与出生时毛发对比之间存在显著关联，这支持了交配系统与幼崽毛发对比之间的联系。这一点在避免杀婴的背景下进行了讨论。出生时的毛发被提议明确区分为不显眼型和显眼型，而非像颜色那样通过连续渐变来区分。评估了亚种分化和共同祖先模式。
