The reconciliation behavior of golden monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellanae roxellanae) in small breeding groups

• DOI: 10.1007/bf02382673
• Publication Date: 2006-04-09T07:48:05Z
• Authors: Renmei Ren; Kanhui Yan; Yanjie Su; Hanjun Qi; Bin Liang; Wunyong Bao; Frans B. M. de Waal
• Keywords: Animal ecology; Agonistic behaviour

Observations were made following 130 spontaneous aggressive incidents in two small breeding groups of captive golden monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellanae roxellanae). Participants were observed both during the first 10 min following these incidents and during matched control observations. An increased contact rate was observed between opponents following the aggressive incident. Post-conflict contacts were characterized by a number of behavior patterns: open mouth, rapid grooming, embrace, and crouching. Adult males played an important role as mediator in agonistic disputes among females: males intervened in 93.6% of female fights. It is speculated that this intervention behavior is related to the species' organization into one-male units.