AFFILIATION BETWEEN AGGRESSORS AND 3RD-PARTIES FOLLOWING CONFLICTS INLONG-TAILED MACAQUES (MACACA-FASCICULARIS)

Studies on cercopithecine monkeys have shown that soon after an agonis tic conflict, victims have increased rates of affiliation with the agr essor-reconciliation-but not with other group members. Postconflict af filiation is thought to function to restore disturbed relationships an d to reduce social tension. This study on a captive group of long-tail ed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) is focused on postconflict affiliati ve behavior of the aggressor. Increased rates of contact between femal e aggressors and kin of the victim occurred as well as between female aggressors and their own kin. Furthermore, there were increased rates of contact between aggressors-males and females-and other group member s. The increase in contacts with the victim's kin was selective, i.e., it could not be ascribed to the increased contact tendency with group members in general and was not a side effect of the aggressor's proxi mity to the victim due to reconciliation. The increase in contacts wit h own kin was not selective. The fact that male aggressors do not have increased postconflict contacts with their kin or with kin of the vic tim is in agreement with the notion that males are less integrated in the nepotistic matrilineal network than females are. The fact that stu dies by others that focused on the victim evidence no increase in post conflict contacts with kin of the opponent or with other group members may be explained by the aggressor's larger influence over the postcon flict situation: to reduce social tension, it might be more effective to affiliate with the aggressor than with the victim. Our findings emp hasize that conflicts influence the behavior of other monkeys besides the direct contestants and, thus, indicate that the disturbance of soc ial homeostasis is a matter of concern for all group members.