rhe non-copulatory estrous behaviour of semi-free
ranging female Japanese monkeys was observed for 3 months,
in order to investigate the role of the female in the
establishment of mating pairs. It was concluded that the
females play a very active role in the formation of mating
pairs, showing three times more solicitation behaviour
than males. They also reject more than 30% of the advances
they do receive. This is interpretated as an indication of
selectivity in the choice of sexual partners. The behaviour
of the female in this courtship context is described, with
emphasis on preceptive or solicitation behaviour. The data
were tested for behavioural differences based on the female's
age, rank, parity, number of offspring and the presence of
an infant, and for differences based on the age, rank and
spatial status of the interacting male. Age of the female
had the greatest effect on behaviour, with older females
behaving in a more calm, sophisticated manner when
soliciting a male. Age was also the most significant male
variable, with females showing more rejection to younger
males. Other than age related findings it must be concluded
that these sociological characteristics of the animals are
not predictive of the females' courtship behaviour. A
number of alternate lines of inquiry for future research are suggested. They include an investigation of the hormonal basis of estrous behaviour, a multivariate
analysis, and a sequential analysis of behaviour. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/22573 |
| Date | 10 1900 |
| Creators | McDonald, Mary S |
| Contributors | Saunders, Shelley R., Anthropology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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