Titre |
Evidence for sex-biased behavioral maternai investment in the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus\}. |
Titre de la série |
International Journal of Primatology. |
Résumé |
To study sex-differential allocation of maternal behavior in Microcebus murinus, I recorded behavioral patterns on 21 litters from parturition to the weaning period. After a pregnancy of 61.5 ± 0.9 days, females may produce from one to four young per litter. Litters were weaned in 40 days by mothers. Behavioral observations at the beginning of the nocturnal activity period demonstrated that close contacts between mothers and infants were more frequent in multiparous mothers than in primiparous ones (p .01). Time in close contact with offspring aged 15 days old compared to contacts with neonates is significantly lower only in single-sex litters and is more marked for all-female litters (p .01). Mother's approaches toward mixed litters or all-male litters were always significantly greater than approaches toward all-female litters (p |