Sociality among captive hybrid macaques

The social behavior of a group of twenty hybrid macaques and one M. fascicularis was investigated to determine the patterns of sociality and social integration within the group. Observation focused on the behavior categories of social affiliation and cohesion. Inter-animal proximity, social grooming, and inter-animal contact were analyzed using a method of cliqual analysis. When compared to a group of M. nemestrina it was found that the hybrid females showed less proximity and contact and that the hybrid males received more noncontact aggression than their nemestrina counterparts. The results indicated that these hybrid macaques have formed an integrated social unit similar to that of a nonhybrid macaque group but without the female social nucleus. An hypothesis is put forward that groups of females put together may not form a social unit comparable to long term social groups.