AI Article Synopsis
- Some Japanese macaque mothers engage in a behavior called maternal food snatching behavior (MFSB), where they take food from their offspring instead of letting them eat.
- Research shows that these mothers snatched about 51.2% of the solid food their infants consumed, leading to below-average growth in the infants' body mass.
- The study highlights MFSB as a potential pathological behavior and offers the first detailed evidence of parental exploitation in animals.
Article Abstract
There is little information on maternal behaviour that deprives offspring of food, but some Japanese macaque, Macaca fuscata, mothers have been observed to snatch food from their offspring and eat it. This study investigated maternal food snatching behaviour (MFSB) and its impact on the growth of their offspring in provisioned, free-ranging Japanese macaques. The amount of food a mother snatched from her offspring was estimated to be 51.2% by dry weight compared to the amount of solid food an infant of the same age took in. Body mass growth of affected infants indicated a below-average mass gain. The study suggests that MFSB might be a pathological behaviour and provides the first detailed account of parental exploitation in animals.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10329-024-01166-0 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!