J. Munozdelgado et al., BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SLEEP IN STUMPTAIL MACAQUES (MACACA ARCTOIDES) IN EXTERIOR CAPTIVITY BY MEANS OF HIGH-SENSITIVITY VIDEORECORDING, American journal of primatology, 36(3), 1995, pp. 245-249
There are reasons to consider incomplete the description of sleep in m
any non-human primate species. Recording animals by highly sensitive v
ideos to obtain detailed descriptions of nighttime behavior and eviden
ce of muscle activity while in a resting posture, seems a promising ap
proach to the non-invasive study of sleep in non-human primates. The p
resent work describes the use of ultrasensitive videocameras to record
and analyze spontaneous nighttime behaviors in captive non-human prim
ates. Its main purpose is to emphasize the utility of videorecordings
to analyze nighttime behavior. A heterosexual group of nine stumptail
macaques (M. arctoides) was studied. It was possible to identify resti
ng postures: immobility or lying on the floor as well as sleep movemen
ts and behavioral signs of sleep. This procedure permits recognition o
f each animal individually and the data suggest that videorecordings,
among other techniques available, may be a useful, non-invasive method
to study sleep. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.