Behaviour of nonhuman primate mothers toward their dead infants: uncovering mechanisms

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
Claire F I Watson, Tetsuro Matsuzawa

Abstract

In comparative thanatology, most reports for nonhuman mammals concern mothers' behavioural responses to their dead offspring: most prominently, dead-infant carrying (sometimes of extended duration); but also inspection, proximity, maternal care such as grooming, protective behaviours and filial cannibalism. Documented across many primate species, these behaviours remain poorly understood in all. The literature is dominated by relatively brief qualitative descriptions of isolated anecdotal cases in apes and monkeys. We argue for quantitative coding in case reports, alongside analyses of longitudinal records of such events to allow objective evaluation of competing theories, and systematic comparisons within and across species and populations. Obtaining necessary datasets depends on raised awareness in researchers of the importance of recording occurrences and knowledge of pertinent data to collect. We review proposed explanatory hypotheses and outline data needed to test each empirically. To determine factors influencing infant-corpse carriage, we suggest analyses of deaths resulting in 'carry' versus 'no carry'. For individual cases, we highlight behavioural variables to code and the need for hormonal samples. We discuss mother...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 20, 2019·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Rafaela S C TakeshitaFred B Bercovitch
Oct 7, 2019·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Pawel FedurekCatherine Crockford
Jan 7, 2020·Primates; Journal of Primatology·James R Anderson
Mar 3, 2020·Frontiers in Psychology·Sharon E Kessler
May 16, 2020·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Cynthia L ThompsonMaria A B de Oliveira
Aug 21, 2019·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Nachiketha SharmaRaman Sukumar
Apr 10, 2020·Royal Society Open Science·Alecia J CarterElise Huchard
Jul 18, 2018·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·André Gonçalves, Dora Biro
Sep 5, 2019·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Cinzia TrapaneseShelly Masi
May 28, 2019·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Renata S MendonçaSatoshi Hirata
Jul 18, 2018·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·James R AndersonPaul Pettitt
Oct 28, 2019·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Paul Pettitt, James R Anderson
Apr 6, 2019·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·André Gonçalves, Susana Carvalho
Aug 21, 2019·Primates; Journal of Primatology·Arianna De MarcoBernard Thierry
Sep 3, 2020·Royal Society Open Science·Elizabeth V LonsdorfAnne E Pusey
Sep 16, 2021·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Elisa Fernández-FueyoAlecia J Carter

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