Reprodutive Behaviors Of Assam Macaque (Macaca Assamensis) In Captivity

The study of reproductive behavior is one of the hot topics in animal ecology. Reproductive behavior is considered as the most important aspect of the animal's life, and influence social relationship and social construction. The study of sexual behavior is the one of important methods of revealing the characteristic of reproductive behavior. Data on reprocutive behavior were collected from one group of the Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis) in captive at Nanning Zoo from August 2006 to August 2007 via focal animal sampling and all occurrences recording. Meanwhile, we also collected urine for genital hormone analysis. The main object of this thesis is to explore their reproductive behavior characteristic, as well as social and physical factors influencing their reproductive behavior, which will provide scientific theory for the migration protection and manual breeding.The main results of this thesis were as follows:1. There was a strict linear dominance in the Assamese macaque study group, and their social rank order is: M1﹥F2﹥F3﹥F4. The male played as a protector, and kept kind and intimate relation with other females as well.2. The mating activities of the Assamese macaque occurred throughout the year. However, they were seasonal breeder, and gave births between May and August. It was females that initiated sexual behavior mainly with the form of prostrate or standing postures in copulation. Male employed the ventral-dorso posture with or without foot-clasping females's ankles or calves during their copulatory procedure. The copulatory procedure included soliciting, mounting, erecting, inserting, thrusting, ejaculating, dismounting, lapping semen. The macaques were used to lapping semen after mating regardless of sex. The male was capable of ejaculating following a single mounting or ejaculate more than once in an hour, which last about 51.01±35.75seconds on average. Thus, the males of the Assamese macaque likely fits male copulatory pattern No·10 (no lock, thrusting, multiple intromission, and single ejaculation) and No·12 (no lock, thrusting, single intromission, and single ejaculation) of Dewsbury's system. 3. There was obvious copulation competition and reproductive competition among adults females. Their reproductive competition was influenced by the dominance of adult females: the high-ranking adult females occupied much more mating chances and bred earlier than the low-ranking individuals. Our study also indicated that the separation of mating time and breeding time could reduce the intention of reproductive competition.4. The reproductive behavior of adult females was influenced significantly by the annual reproductive cycle. There was a marked peak of the female sexual solicitations before pregnancy. The frequency of female sexual solicitations significantly correlated positively with estradial levels in urine. However, mating activities of adult females were nearly absent in pregnancy-parturition, and correlated negatively with estradial levels. For the adult male, the level of testoerone in urine correlated positively with the frequency of their sexual behaviors, but correlated negatively with the frequency of their aggressive behaviors. This indicated that the level of testoerone influenced only on the male sexual behaviors, but not on the aggressive behaviors. It is because that there is no reproductive competition for adult male in a polygynous group of the Assamese macaque in captive.