A comparative study of reconciliation in rhesus and Tonkean macaques

Post-conflict affiliative contacts between previous opponents were compared in rhesus and Tonkean macaques (Macaca mulatta, M. tonkeana). The first co ntact mostly occurred in the first minute following conflict. Among unrelat ed females, conciliatory tendencies rated fivefold higher in Tonkean macaqu es than in rhesus macaques. This held for other age-and-sex categories as w ell. Conciliatory tendencies in Tonkean macaques were similar for related a nd unrelated partners. In rhesus macaques, conciliatory tendencies were mor e elevated within kin. The results indicate that reconciliation behaviors c ovary, along with interspecific variation in aggression and dominance patte rns among macaques.