Twinning frequency of Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) at Takasakiyama

Abstract

In a wild-living, artificially provisioned population of Japanese macaques at Takasakiyama in southern Japan, nine sets of twins were recorded from 12,392 known deliveries over a 56-year study period. Recorded twinning frequency was 0.073%. During the first 28-year period, artificial food was given until macaques were satiated and population size increased rapidly. In the second 28-year period, provisioned food was restricted to about half of the former period's calorific content. Seven sets of twins were born in the first period and two sets in the second. Twining frequency in the two periods was 0.137 and 0.027%, respectively. In comparing studies of other Catarrhine primate samples, we hypothesize that twinning frequency is influenced by living conditions, and we suggest that living conditions should be carefully evaluated in studies of twinning frequency.

Reproduction and Breeding of Nonhuman Primates

“…The gestational period in macaques is generally 165e170 days. Most pregnancies result in the delivery of one fetus; the incidence of twinning is very uncommon (Bercovitch et al, 2002;Sugiyama et al, 2011). Normally, infants are delivered at night and the female consumes the placenta.…”

Heteropaternity of twins in ring‐tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)

“…Nevertheless, due to the effects of food abundance on reproduction in this species (Parga & Lessnau, ), the rate of multiple‐offspring births among wild nonprovisioned L. catta is still far less than among captive/provisioned colonies of this species. A higher incidence of twinning as a result of provisioning and increased maternal food intake has previously been noted in cotton‐top tamarins, Saguinus oedipus (Kirkwood, ) and Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata (Sugiyama, Kurita, Matsui, & Shimomura, ). The physiological mechanism linking higher food availability to twinning in L. catta may be similar to the situation among captive common marmosets ( C. jacchus ), in which heavier maternal body weight (from greater nutritional availability) causes a greater number of ovulations to occur (Tardif & Jaquish, , ).…”

First occurrence of twins in provisioned free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Huangshan, China

“…Multiple births and infant survivorship in primates can be influenced by living conditions (Sugiyama et al 2011), seem to be correlated with diet (Link et al 2006), and are more common in captive than in wild populations (Leighty et al 2004). Therefore, the living conditions of subjects should be carefully evaluated in studies of twinning (Sugiyama et al 2011).…”

“…Therefore, the living conditions of subjects should be carefully evaluated in studies of twinning (Sugiyama et al 2011). Captive environments provide adequate nutritional and medical support to meet the extra demands of gestating and feeding a second infant; natural environments may not, or at least not to the same degree.…”

“…Multiple births occur commonly in prosimians (Pasztor and Horn 1976), but occasional cases of twins have been reported for several simian species that normally have single offspring; for example, Callithrix jacchus (Tardif et al 2001), Saguinus imperator (Windfelder 2000), Cebus apella (Leighty et al 2004), Ateles belzebuth (Link et al 2006), Pan troglodytes (Ely et al 2006), Macaca mulatta (Bercovitch et al 2002), Macaca cyclopis (Hsu et al 2000), and Macaca fuscata (Sugiyama et al 2011). Not surprisingly, infant survivorship has been poor in these cases.…”