Compensatory responses of goat mothers to their impaired young

Klopfer, Peter H.; Klopfer, Martha S.

doi:10.1016/0003-3472(77)90004-5

Cited by 29 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…In addition, maternal transport of smaller infants was more likely to be initiated by the infant, rather than by the mother. Thus, there was no evidence to support the contention that mothers were compensating for the smallest infants as has been found for some other species (Spencer-Booth 1969;Klopfer and Klopfer 1977); however, in these cases, the number of infants did not exceed the number that could be fed simultaneously, as was the case with marmoset triplets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…The limited data available suggest that mammalian mothers may attempt to equilibrate care across litters by providing more, compensatory care to weaker or disabled individuals, at least in species producing small numbers of relatively precocial young (e.g. macaques: Spencer‐Booth 1969; Rosenblum and Youngstein 1974; goats: Klopfer and Klopfer 1977; squirrel monkeys: Coe 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can Marmoset Mothers Count to Three? Effect of Litter Size on Mother–Infant Interactions

2002

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Harper (Parental Care in Mammals, Plenum Press, New York, 1981, p. 158) proposed that ‘there may be lower and upper limits for frequency or intensity of offspring stimulation that, on average, serve as reliable boundaries, below or above which it would be uneconomical to invest at all or at current levels.‘ This proposition was tested in captive common marmosets by comparing the responses of marmoset mothers exposed to differing number of infants. Fifteen common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) litters (seven twin and eight triplet litters) from 11 different dams were observed for 6–12, 30‐min sessions over days 1–4 following birth. Mothers nursed smaller infants less frequently (F = 4.208, df = 1, 22; p = 0.052) regardless of litter size. The percent time mothers spent transporting (nursing and carrying) each infant was less for triplets than twins (F = 11.785, df = 1, 12; p = 0.005). Average transport bout length was significantly shorter for smaller infants (F = 7.566, df = 1, 22; p = 0.012) and was half as long for triplet infants as for twins (F = 10.733, df = 1, 7; p = 0.013). Twice as many transport bouts for triplets included maternal harassment of infants, than for twins (F = 42.742, df = 1, 24; p = 0.0001). Infant‐initiated transfers to the mother were more common for triplets than for twins (Mann–Whitney U = 79.50, p = 0.006). The overall maternal carrying score (% carry × number of infants carried) was lower for triplet litters than for twin litters (F = 15.38, df = 1, 3; p = 0.029); i.e. mothers of triplets did not, overall, invest in more carrying and nursing than did mothers of twins but instead invested less. These findings suggest that, as opposed to the strong attraction to infants that is common for many primates, the marmoset mother's tolerance for carrying infants does not increase with increasing infant stimuli present; rather, marmoset mothers will only tolerate a limited amount of time transporting and nursing infants, regardless of litter size. This limited tolerance may be due to the species’ small body size and anti‐predator strategies (e.g. concealment) that make infant care incompatible with other essential activities, such as foraging.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Marmoset Mothers Count to Three? Effect of Litter Size on Mother–Infant Interactions

2002

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“…So if the parent detects that the behaviour of its offspring is different from what it should be, the parent behaves in such a way as to make good the discrepancy. A beautiful example of this comes from the work of Peter and Martha Klopfer (1977) on the goat. A nanny goat with two offspring will, unless one of them is very weak, prevent the more vigorous one from suckling first.…”

Section: Selfgorregtionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rules and Reciprocity in Behavioural Development: Implications for Rehabilitation

Bateson

1983

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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This article considers the potential value of two bodies of thought arising from work on animals in connection with rehabilitating abnormal behaviour. One deals with the processes of catch-up and self-regulation, and the other with optimal periods of learning in development. The ideas about self-regulation are important because an individual with abnormal behaviour at one stage in development may cease to be abnormal of its own accord. The sensitive period concept in development has often been seen as being opposed to that of possible adult rehabilitation. Much of the animal evidence suggests that the opposition is false.

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“…In fact, feeding maize during late pregnancy in goats that graze extensively improved neonatal activity (high frequency for udder seeking, sucking, and LPB emission) after birth (Ramírez-Vera et al, 2012). This improved kid behaviour could make them more attractive for mothers, thus reinforcing the display of maternal care towards more active neonates, as proposed by Klopfer and Klopfer (1977).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Inclusion of maize in the grazing diet of goats during the last 12 days of gestation reinforces the expression of maternal behaviour and selectivity during the sensitive period

et al. 2012

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Compensatory responses of goat mothers to their impaired young

Cited by 29 publications

References 1 publication

Can Marmoset Mothers Count to Three? Effect of Litter Size on Mother–Infant Interactions

Can Marmoset Mothers Count to Three? Effect of Litter Size on Mother–Infant Interactions

Rules and Reciprocity in Behavioural Development: Implications for Rehabilitation

Inclusion of maize in the grazing diet of goats during the last 12 days of gestation reinforces the expression of maternal behaviour and selectivity during the sensitive period

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