Longitudinal observations of care and development of infant titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of infant care and development in family groups of the monogamous titi (Callicebus moloch). Three infant titis were observed with their natal family groups over the first six months of life. Field observations of extensive male involvement with infants were confirmed. Adult males were clearly the infants' primary social companions, and infants spent more time in contact with adult males at all ages than with mothers or older siblings. However, mothers and siblings also carried infants at times and interacted with them in affiliative ways (e.g., grooming, nuzzling, play). Mothers often invited nursing, but otherwise it was infants who primarily initiated transfers between carriers and approaches to parents, reminding us that the infants' own activities and their effects on caregivers should not be overlooked in considerations of the patterns of infant care. This is particularly important for those species exhibiting extensive parental involvement by males. It is suggested that substantial male care of young titi infants leads to several important consequences for the infant's social development, including the development of a stronger attachment to the father than the mother.

Notes on Breeding of the Titi Monkey Callicebus cupreus

“…The finding that the father is the main carrier of the single infant had already been reported by Mason from his pioneering filed study on C. cupreus ornatus [9] and his observations were subsequently supported by laboratory studies [2,4,8,10, ll] and is in good accordance with other reports on basic platyrrhine primates [3].…”

Adult Male Replacement in Socially Monogamous Equatorial Saki Monkeys (Pithecia aequatorialis)

“…data], in agreement with similar reports on other saki species [Rosenberger et al, 1996]. Male sakis provide little direct care for offspring [Homburg, 1998], unlike titi [Fragaszy et al, 1982;Mendoza and Mason, 1986a, b;Hoffman et al, 1995] or owl monkey males [Wright, 1984;Jantschke et al, 1996;Rotundo et al, 2002Rotundo et al, , 2005Fernandez-Duque, 2007], who, almost exclusively, carry infants from soon after birth. Thus, territory defense may be an important alternative 'service' that males provide for female sakis.…”

When Dads Help: Male Behavioral Care During Primate Infant Development

“…For example, males are the primary caregivers among socially monogamous titi monkeys (Fragaszy et al 1982 ;Mendoza and Mason 1986 ;Welker and Schäfer-Witt 1986 ) . When infant titi monkeys are separated from their fathers, they show a strong pituitary-adrenal stress response and vocalize intensely, whereas the response is much weaker when the mother is removed.…”