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Published on: September 22, 2023
Severe intragroup aggressions in captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).
Bianca De Filippis1, Flavia Chiarotti, Augusto Vitale
1Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy.
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science : JAAWS
|February 26, 2010
Summary
Sibling aggression in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) is influenced by sex and group size. Understanding these factors can help minimize fatal attacks within captive primate colonies.
Area of Science:
- Primate behavior
- Animal aggression
- New World monkeys
Background:
- Captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) can experience fatal intraspecific aggression.
- Understanding the causes of aggression is crucial for colony management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causes of repeated, potentially fatal attacks by family members in common marmosets.
- To identify variables that may minimize the occurrence of such aggressions.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of aggression records within a common marmoset colony.
- Examination of factors including aggressor/victim sex, relationship, and group size.
Main Results:
- Males and females attacked at similar rates, but males attacked both sexes, while females attacked only females.
- Aggressions most frequently involved siblings and increased in groups larger than five.
- Group size significantly impacted aggression rates only when females were the aggressors.
Conclusions:
- Aggression in common marmosets is multifactorial, with the relative importance of factors depending on the aggressor's sex.
- Further research is needed to determine if crowding, rather than group size, influences aggression incidence.
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