Labor and delivery behavior in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract

The present report is a description of 14 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) births, five of which have been filmed in 16 mm colored silent film. All of the females shown in the film are feral, but descriptions of births in laboratory females are also included in the report. Time of delivery, observational techniques, signs of labor, differences with parity, and behaviors of both mothers and infants are included. A brief description of a few feet of film of a breech birth is also presented. The behaviors of adult males, who were sometimes present during delivery, are described.The characteristic labor posture is the squat, although some females crouch or lie down. Other birth behaviors are reaching back, licking, and stretching. Primiparous mothers generally have longer and more dficult deliveries and often appear to be nervous or clumsy shortly after the birth. The infant's behavior varies with its health; the present report describes the behavior of five infants. The behavior of adult males who witness births is variable, ranging from intense curiosity to aggression.

The influence of repeated motherhood on periparturitional behavior in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

“…Like other investigators (Brandt and Mitchell, 1973), we noted that primiparous animals were restless and confused during the preparturient phase; all 10 primiparous subjects versus only 7 of 11 multiparous subjects displayed "standing bipedally" (Fisher's exact probability test: p = 0.055). We grouped data on positional behavior into three categories--action postures (standing quadrupedally and bipedally and hanging), resting postures (sitting, squatting, and lying), and locomotion (walking and climbing)--and found that primiparous females spent significantly more time than multiparous females did in action postures (U = 25; 0.05 > a >0.02) and locomotion (U = 26; a = 0.05), but spent significantly less time in resting postures (U = 25; 0.05 > a > 0.02).…”

“…Both primiparous and multiparous mothers are restless before and during prepartus; they move more and change their postures more often than usual. Restlessness therefore is considered one of the few useful criteria for predicting a delivery [Brandt and Mitchell (1973) and Adachi et al (1982) rhesus macaques; Goodlin and Sackett (1983) pigtailed macaques]. Perhaps primiparous mothers are more restless because they are undergoing the physiological changes that accompany parturition for the first time.…”

“…Further, multiparous females almost exclusively strained while squatting, whereas primiparous females, on an average, spent >50% of the time straining in hanging or standing postures. Brandt and Mitchell (1973) also saw a primiparous rhesus female strain while hanging. The primipara's postural changeability during expulsion seems to correspond with the impression of Tinklepaugh and Hartman (1932) that primiparous females are confused.…”

“…During this phase, behaviors occur that are characteristic of the imminent delivery (Brandt and Mitchell, 1973;Goodlin and Sackett, 1983;Kemps and Timmermans, 1982). We began to record behavior 1.5 hr before childbirth because all mothers were awake and most of them displayed behaviors that are characteristic of this phase.…”

Observation of a birth among wild toque macaques (Macaca sinica)

“…In keeping with earlier work on other primates (e.g., Brandt and Mitchell, 1973;Kemps and Timmermans, 1982), the observations surrounding the birth of a toque macaque were divided into four phases.…”