C. Anayahuertas et R. Mondragonceballos, SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR OF BLACK-HANDED SPIDER MONKEYS (ATELES-GEOFFROYI) REARED AS HOME PETS, International journal of primatology, 19(4), 1998, pp. 767-784
We studied the interactions between and within sexes of 7 molar catego
ries of behavior-aggression, submission, avoid-retreat, social groomin
g, together, social play, and sexual interest-in a newly formed captiv
e group of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) reared as pets and unacqu
ainted with each other. Free-ranging Ateles geoffroyi show a character
istic sex-determined patterning of intragroup social interactions and
relationships: males are more affiliative with males, and females are
more solitary and more prone to be attacked by males. Our rationale, u
sing socially handicapped subjects, was to test whether the monkeys we
re able to develop species-typical social relationships and constitute
a cohesive group. We studied the group of 8 males and 6 females in an
outdoor cage throughout 31 weeks, starting I week after the formation
of the group. Their rate of interactions is not much different from t
hose reported for natural groups. The patterning of interactions for a
lmost all behaviors is similar to that which has been observed in wild
groups. Our findings suggest that spider monkeys, despite unnatural n
urturing, follow an innate species specific motivational script in the
patterning of their interactions.