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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Quantification of Drosophila melanogaster Grooming Behavior for Evaluation of Excessive Grooming Phenotypes
Published on: March 21, 2025
Short-term costs and benefits of grooming in Japanese macaques
Gabriele Schino1, Alessandro Alessandrini
1Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, Via Ulisse Aldrovandi 16b, 00197, Rome, Italy, g.schino@istc.cnr.it.
Abstract:
This study investigated the short-term consequences of giving grooming in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) in order to obtain information on its immediate costs and benefits. Giving grooming was associated with increased aggression received from groomees and decreased aggression received from third parties (but only as long as the groomer maintained proximity to the groomee). Grooming was also associated with decreased scratching rates. These results emphasize the unpredictable outcome of individual grooming interactions and the difficulties of social decision-making for monkeys living in despotic societies.

