PARENTAL AND INFANT BEHAVIOR DURING EARLY PERIODS OF INFANT CARE IN GOELDIS MONKEY, CALLIMICO-GOELDII

To date, research on Callimico goeldii has been focused on reproductiv e endocrinology. Only sparse and mostly anecdotal data on parent-infan t behaviour are available. This study provides a quantitative descript ion of the first 6 weeks' caregiving of five offspring to five captive pairs. With inclusion of the data from an additional four offspring t he date of first transfer from the mother to the father (22.1 days aft er parturition) and of the first transfer to the substrate (28.7 days after parturition) were determined. A dear sexual dimorphism was found in that female infants were transferred to the father on average 6 da ys earlier than males, whereas latencies of the first transfer to the substrate did not differ significantly between the sexes. Behavioural, scores which correlate with this difference and/or individual differe nces between the observed breeding pairs were investigated in an attem pt to find parameters that describe and predict a pair's infant care s trategy. Analysis of the infant-parent and parent-infant behaviour dem onstrated that the decline in maternal carrying rather than in nursing is associated with parent-infant conflict; therefore, as carrying is also a major maternal investment in this small-bodied species, parenta l carriage is suggested to be the principal currency of weaning in C. goeldii.