Abstract
The strength and specificity of attraction between mated pairs of red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus) were tested in the laboratory. Test individuals were placed in a choice situation in which they could indicate their preference, by proximity and quality of behavior measures, to either their pair mate in an adjoining cage or an alternative in a second adjoining cage (same-sex animal, opposite-sex animal, or an empty cage). The test animals showed a significant preference to be in visual contact and proximity with their pair mates instead of the alternative when it was an animal of the same sex as the test individual or an empty cage. However, when the choice was between their pair mate and an animal of the opposite sex, no preference for their pair mate was apparent. No sex differences were found. It is concluded that attraction to a pair mate is not sufficient to maintain a pair bond, and when pairs ofS. labiatus breed monogamously, the pair relationship is likely to be maintained, at least in part, through aggression between same-sex individuals.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anzenberger, G. (1985). How stranger encounters of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus jacchus) are influenced by family members: The quality of behavior.Folia Primatol. 45: 204–224.
Anzenberger, G. (1986). Responses of matedCallithrix jacchus females to unfamiliar males.Primate Rep. 14: 75–76 (abstract).
Baldwin, J. D. (1985) The behavior of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri) in natural environments. In Rosenblum, L. A., and Coe, C. L. (eds.),Handbook of Squirrel Monkey Research, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 35–54.
Box, H. O. (1975). Quantitative studies of behavior within captive groups of marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus).Primates 16: 155–174.
Buchanan-Smith, H. M. (1989).The Social Organization and Mating Systems of the Red-Bellied Tamarin (Saguinus labiatus labiatus):Behavioural Observations in Captivity and in the Wild, Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Reading, Reading, U.K.
Buchanan-Smith, H. M. (1990). Polyspecific association of two tamarins species,Saguinus labiatus andSaguinus fuscicollis, in Bolivia.Am. J. Primatol. 22: 205–214.
Buchanan-Smith, H. M. (1991a). A field study on the red-bellied tamarin,Sagunus l. labiatus, in Bolivia.Int. J. Primat 12: 259–276.
Buchanan-Smith, H. M. (1991b). Encounters between neighboring mixed species groups of tamarins in northern Bolivia.Primate Rep.
Coates, A., and Poole, T. B. (1983). The behavior of the callitrichid monkeySaguinus labiatus in the laboratory.Int. J. Primatol. 4: 339–371.
Epple, G. (1975). The behavior of marmoset monkeys (Callitrichidae). In Rosenblum, R. A. (ed.),Primate Behavior, Vol. 4, Academic Press, New York, pp. 195–239.
Epple, G. (1977). Notes on the establishment and maintenance of the pair bond inSaguinus fuscicollis. In Kleiman, D. G. (ed.),The Biology and Conservation of the Callitrichidae, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 231–237.
Epple, G. (1990). Sex differences in partner preference in mated pairs of saddle-back tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis).Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 27: 455–459.
Evans, S. (1983). The pair bond of the common marmoset,Callithrix j. jacchus: An experimental investigation. Anim. Behav. 31: 651–658.
Evans, S. (1986). The pair bond of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus jacchus). In Taub, D. M., and King, F. A. (ed.),Current Perspectives in Primate Social Dynamics, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp. 51–65.
Freese, C. H., Haltne, P., Castro, R. N., and Whitesides, G. (1982). Patterns and determinants of monkey densities in Peru and Bolivia with notes on distributions.Int. J. Primatol. 3: 53–90.
French, J. A., and Inglett, B. J. (1989). Female-female aggression and male indifference in response to unfamiliar intruders in the tamarinSaguinus oedipus.Anim. Behav. 37: 487–497.
French, J. A., and Snowdon, C. T. (1981). Sexual dimorphism in responses to intruders in the tamarinSaguinus oedipus.Anim. Behav. 29: 822–829.
Garber, P. A., Moya, L., and Malaga, C. (1984). A preliminary field study of the moustached tamarin monkey (Saguinus mystax) in North-Eastern Peru: Questions concerned with the evolution of a communal breeding system.Folia Primatol. 42: 17–32.
Goldizen, A. W. (1987). Facultative polyandry and the role of infant carrying in wild saddle-back tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis).Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 20: 99–109.
Inglett, B. J., French, J. A., and Dethlefs, T. M. (1990). Patterns of social preference in golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia).J. Comp. Psychol. 104: 131–139.
Kleiman, D. G. (1977). Monogamy in mammals.Q. Rev. Bio. 52: 36–69.
Mason, W. A. (1975). Comparative studies of the social behavior ofCallicebus andSaimiri: Strength and specificity of attraction between male female cagemates.Folia Primatol. 23: 113–125.
Pook, A., and Pook, A. G. (1982). Polyspecific association betweenSaguinus fuscicollis, Saguinus labiatus, Callimico goeldii and other primates in north western Bolivia.Folia Primatol. 38: 196–216.
Poole, T. B. (1978). A behavioral investigation of “pair-bond” maintenance inCallithrix jacchus jacchus. In Rothe, R., Wolters, H. J., and Hearn, J. P. (eds.),The Biology and Behavior of Marmosets, Eigenverlag Rothe, Gottingen, West Germany, pp. 209–216.
Rothe, R. (1975). Some aspects of sexuality and reproduction in groups of captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).Z. Tierpsycol. 37: 255–273.
Savage, A., Ziegler, T. E., and Snowdon, C. T. (1988). Sociosexual development, pair bond formation and mechanisms of fertility suppression in female cotton top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus oedipus).Am. J. Primatol. 14: 345–359.
Sussman, R. W., and Garber, P. A. (1987). A new interpretation of the social organization and mating system of the Callitrichidae.Int. J. Primatol. 8: 73–92.
Sutcliffe, A. G., and Poole, T. B. (1984). An experimental analysis of social interaction in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus jacchus).Int. J. Primatol. 5: 591–607.
Terborgh, J., and Goldizen, A. (1985). On the mating system of the cooperatively breeding saddle back tamarinSaguinus fuscicollis).Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 16: 293–299.
Yoneda, M. (1981). Ecological studies ofSaguinus fuscicollis andSaguinus labiatus with reference to habitat segregation and height preference.Kyoto University Overseas Research Reports of New World Monkeys II, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, pp. 43–50.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Buchanan-Smith, H.M., Jordan, T.R. An experimental investigation of the pair bond in the callitrichid monkey,Saguinus labiatus . International Journal of Primatology 13, 51–72 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02547727
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02547727