Behavioral responses to injury and death in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)

Campbell, LAD, Tkaczynski, PJ, Mouna, M, Qarro, M, Waterman, J and Majolo, B (2016) Behavioral responses to injury and death in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). Primates, 57 (3). pp. 309-315. ISSN 0032-8332

Preview

Text Behavioral responses to injury and death in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus).pdf - Accepted Version Download (220kB) | Preview

Abstract

The wounding or death of a conspecific has been shown to elicit varied behavioral responses throughout thanatology. Recently, a number of reports have presented contentious evidence of epimeletic behavior towards the dying and dead among non-human animals, a behavioral trait previously considered uniquely human. Here, we report on the behavioral responses of Barbary macaques, a social, non-human primate, to the deaths of four group members (one high-ranking adult female, one high-ranking adult male, one juvenile male, and one female infant), all caused by road traffic accidents. Responses appeared to vary based on the nature of the death (protracted or instant) and the age class of the deceased. Responses included several behaviors with potential adaptive explanations or consequences. These included exploration, caretaking (guarding, carrying, and grooming), and proximity to wounded individuals or corpses, and immediate as well as longer-lasting distress behaviors from other group members following death, all of which have been reported in other non-human primate species. These observations add to a growing body of comparative evolutionary analysis of primate thanatology and help to highlight the multifaceted impacts of human-induced fatalities on an endangered and socially complex primate.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-016-0540-4
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Animals; Macaca; Death; Behavior, Animal; Social Behavior; Thanatology; Morocco; Female; Male; Barbary macaque; Epimeletic behavior; Thanatology; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Death; Female; Macaca; Male; Morocco; Social Behavior; Thanatology; 3109 Zoology; 3103 Ecology; 31 Biological Sciences; Basic Behavioral and Social Science; Behavioral and Social Science; 3 Good Health and Well Being; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Death; Female; Macaca; Male; Morocco; Social Behavior; Thanatology; 0603 Evolutionary Biology; 0608 Zoology; Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology; 3103 Ecology; 3109 Zoology
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Springer
Date of acceptance:	10 April 2016
Date of first compliant Open Access:	28 May 2025
Date Deposited:	28 May 2025 09:35
Last Modified:	28 May 2025 09:45
DOI or ID number:	10.1007/s10329-016-0540-4
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26443

View Item