This article provides information on the phenomenon of alopecia in Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, in various environments and proposes a 3-step scoring system for a quantitative assessment of hair loss. Results su...This article provides information on the phenomenon of alopecia in Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, in various environments and proposes a 3-step scoring system for a quantitative assessment of hair loss. Results suggest that alopecia is commonly observed in Japanese macaques, with 20.5% of individuals showing head alopecia and 4.7% showing back alopecia across eight study groups. Alopecia was more commonly observed in adult females （30.8% individuals showing head alopecia and 15.3% showing back alopecia） than in other age-sex classes. Seasonal variation of back alopecia was noted, in particular, in- dividuals with patchy back hair were more frequently observed in winter than in summer. Seasonal variation was not observed in head hair. The distribution of alopecia was also different among study groups. The wild population generally had better hair con- dition than provisioned populations and captive populations. The present study used a non-invasive alopecia scoring system which can be a useful, rapid and non-invasive tool to monitor animal health and well-being at a population level展开更多
Typically, Japanese macaques are thought to avoid encountering other groups wherever possible. Intergroup relations between macaques on Shodoshima Island, however, appear exceptional. We show that neighboring groups o...Typically, Japanese macaques are thought to avoid encountering other groups wherever possible. Intergroup relations between macaques on Shodoshima Island, however, appear exceptional. We show that neighboring groups of Shodoshima mon-keys spent 32.8% of their active time in proximity to （〈100 m） and even foraged simultaneously at the same provisioning site with another group. The average duration and rate of intergroup encounters at Shodoshima （59.8 rain, 0.33 times/hour, n=269） were approximately ten times longer and 16.5 times more frequent than those at Jigokudani （6.1 rain, 0.02 times/hour, n--14）. Since both populations have similar provisioning and ecological conditions, such variation cannot be explained by the socioecol- ogy model alone. Compared with other populations of Japanese macaques, intergroup relations of Shodoshima monkeys are also characterized by more frequent neutral encounters, less frequent agonistic encounters, more frequent unsuccessful displacement, a lower intensity of aggression, and more frequent counter-aggression between groups. These characteristics suggest that intergroup relationships on Shodoshima Island are more tolerant than those in other Japanese macaque populations. This study reveals con- siderable differences in intergroup encounters within local populations of Japanese macaques living in similar environments, and emphasizes the role of social factors in such intra-specific variation [Current Zoology 58 （4）： 517-524, 2012].展开更多
基金Acknowledgments The study was supported by the Hun- dred Scholar Program （090013） of Sun Yat-sen University in China, Fund-In-Aid of JSPS （P09103） and National Natural Science Foundation of China （31000175）. I am grateful to the Choshikei Monkey Park, the Takasakiyama Monkey Park, Jigokudani Monkey Park and Kyoto University for granting permission to carry out this research. I thank Mr Sam Hodgson from Tigress Productions for revising English. I thank all members of the Social Ecology Department and Center for Human Evolution Modeling Research at the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University who gave helpful comments on the manuscript.
文摘This article provides information on the phenomenon of alopecia in Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, in various environments and proposes a 3-step scoring system for a quantitative assessment of hair loss. Results suggest that alopecia is commonly observed in Japanese macaques, with 20.5% of individuals showing head alopecia and 4.7% showing back alopecia across eight study groups. Alopecia was more commonly observed in adult females （30.8% individuals showing head alopecia and 15.3% showing back alopecia） than in other age-sex classes. Seasonal variation of back alopecia was noted, in particular, in- dividuals with patchy back hair were more frequently observed in winter than in summer. Seasonal variation was not observed in head hair. The distribution of alopecia was also different among study groups. The wild population generally had better hair con- dition than provisioned populations and captive populations. The present study used a non-invasive alopecia scoring system which can be a useful, rapid and non-invasive tool to monitor animal health and well-being at a population level
基金The study was supported by the Na- tional Natural Science Foundation of China （31000175）, the Grant-In-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science （JSPS： P09103） and the Kiriyama Foundation of Ja-pan. We are grateful to the Choshikei Monkey Park and Jigo-kudani Monkey Park for granting permission to carry out this research, special thanks to Mr. Eishi Tokida for his kind aids in our study. We thank Dr. Andrew J. Macintosh for reading and commenting on a previous draft of this manuscript. We thank all members of the Anthropology Department, Sun Yat-sen University, China and the Social Ecology Department at the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, for their helpful comments on this research. The research and care of the monkeys under study abides by the national and institu- tional guidelines for the care and management of primates established by the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto Univer- sity, Japan.
文摘Typically, Japanese macaques are thought to avoid encountering other groups wherever possible. Intergroup relations between macaques on Shodoshima Island, however, appear exceptional. We show that neighboring groups of Shodoshima mon-keys spent 32.8% of their active time in proximity to （〈100 m） and even foraged simultaneously at the same provisioning site with another group. The average duration and rate of intergroup encounters at Shodoshima （59.8 rain, 0.33 times/hour, n=269） were approximately ten times longer and 16.5 times more frequent than those at Jigokudani （6.1 rain, 0.02 times/hour, n--14）. Since both populations have similar provisioning and ecological conditions, such variation cannot be explained by the socioecol- ogy model alone. Compared with other populations of Japanese macaques, intergroup relations of Shodoshima monkeys are also characterized by more frequent neutral encounters, less frequent agonistic encounters, more frequent unsuccessful displacement, a lower intensity of aggression, and more frequent counter-aggression between groups. These characteristics suggest that intergroup relationships on Shodoshima Island are more tolerant than those in other Japanese macaque populations. This study reveals con- siderable differences in intergroup encounters within local populations of Japanese macaques living in similar environments, and emphasizes the role of social factors in such intra-specific variation [Current Zoology 58 （4）： 517-524, 2012].
