Parturition and potential infanticide in free-ranging Alouatta guariba clamitans

Abstract

Parturition is a key process of mammalian reproduction that is rarely documented in New World monkeys because it often occurs at night. However, diurnal births have been recorded in several species. In howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) they have often been observed during prolonged resting periods. Similarly, infanticide is a behavior observed quite infrequently. Infanticide in howler monkeys is often inferred from infant deaths or disappearances after group takeovers by nonresident male(s). Here we report the first observation of parturition and birth-related behaviors in the brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans) and the likely attack on the infant that caused its death. The mother was a multiparous female that lived in a ca. 3-ha Atlantic forest fragment in southern Brazil with nine group mates. The behavior ("all occurrences") sampling method was used to record birth-related behaviors and social interactions. The parturition occurred during the day of 27 October 2013 during a feeding session. The female showed no sign of contraction or birth delivery posture. Parturition began apparently after matrix rupture and release of the amniotic fluid. Expulsion of the newborn occurred between 1 and 3 min later (the exact moment of delivery was not observed). Then, the female held and licked the newborn and began to ingest the placenta and the umbilical cord. The other group members continued feeding and had no interaction with the parturient during the preparturition and parturition events. The infant died ca. 35 days later as a consequence of injuries to his forehead and face, potentially caused by a conspecific bite. Because the adult and subadult males chased the female in the day that the infant's wounds were detected, we believe that one of them might have been the aggressor. We discuss this putative case of infanticide in light of the potential motivation of each male.

Birth of a wild black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra) at an anthropogenic site

“…Here, we present a detailed description, accompanied by video recordings, of a live birth of a male black howler monkey ( Alouatta pigra ) in an anthropogenic setting in Chiapas, Mexico. We place our findings in context with available reports of live births from the Alouatta genus (Table 1 ), including A. palliata (Dias 2005 ; Moreno et al 1991 ; Nisbett and Glander 1996 ), A. caraya (Kowalewski and Zunino 2004 ; Peker et al 2009 ; Rumiz 1990 ), A. guariba clamitans (Martins et al 2015 ), and A. arctoidea (Sekulic 1982 ). We also provide novel information on four other black howler monkey births from the nearby protected forest, Palenque National Park (Table 1 ).…”

“…Reports of wild howler monkeys giving birth often lack information regarding the pre-partum phase of the event, likely due to the near-instantaneous period between amniotic sac rupture and birth in most documented cases (Dias 2005 ; Martins et al 2015 ; Nisbett and Glander 1996 ; Sekulic 1982 ). Due to a lengthy period between birth stages on the day of the event, we report details on the group’s activity budget from before the rupture of the amniotic sac to the crowning of the infant from the birth canal.…”

“…Even though primates tend to give birth at night, daytime births have been registered in both experienced and non-experienced females (Dias 2005 ; Martins et al 2015 ; Nguyen et al 2017 ; Nisbett and Glander 1996 ; Peker et al 2009 ; Sekulic 1982 ). While giving birth at night may reduce the likelihood of intragroup interactions with the mother and increase infant survival by taking place when the group is resting (Nguyen et al 2017 ; Sekulic 1982 ), diurnal births may not be strongly selected against in some primate species (Nguyen et al 2017 ).…”

Assessing the influence of biotic, abiotic, and social factors on the physiological stress of a large Neotropical primate in Atlantic forest fragments

“…For instance, pregnant, nursing, and infantcarrying females need more energy than adult males (Emery Thompson, 2013;Cantarelli et al, 2017;Dias et al, 2017). These females' potentially higher vulnerability to parasites together with the risk of infanticide can cause higher physiological stress (Martins et al, 2015;Cantarelli et al, 2017;Martínez-Mota et al, 2017).…”

Comparative primate obstetrics: Observations of 15 diurnal births in wild gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) and their implications for understanding human and nonhuman primate birth evolution

“…Even in the rare instances when births have been observed in the wild, poor visibility in the arboreal environments where most primates live often prevents researchers from observing one or more phases of the birth process (e.g., the moment of delivery: Brogan & Cords, ; Douglas, ; Martins, Chaves, Neves, & Bicca‐Marques, ). Thus, the behaviors common to primates during the entire birth process have been difficult to identify (Rosenberg & Trevathan, ).…”