峨眉山东北坡藏猴(Macaca thibefana)栖息地的气候、植被和地形

峨眉山东北坡坡面的气候和植被垂直变化明显,栖息地的气温和降水量有明 显的季节性变化, 浓密的下层植被是藏猴天然食物分布空间的重要组成部分。这 些结果支持了关于藏猴的生长发育及年龄-性别区分的有关假定,为该种群分布 高度限制因 素和觅食运动方式的探讨提供了依据。图3表2参16

藏猴(Macaca thibetana)皮纹研究

藏猴手足面上皮纹与其他猕猴属动物基本相同;其指趾端上的花纹几乎全是原始花纹;掌面上,大小鱼际主要为箕形和开放形花纹,指间Ⅰ－Ⅳ区主要为斗形纹;跖面上,大小鱼纹及趾间Ⅰ－Ⅱ区则主要是箕形纹,趾间Ⅲ－Ⅳ区主要是斗形纹。左右端指间Ⅱ－Ⅳ区及趾间Ⅲ－Ⅳ区花纹分布有一定差异。性别之间在指间Ⅰ区有显著差异。四川峨眉山及凉山雷波县两地猴则在掌面大鱼际、指及趾间Ⅰ区具显著差异,可能与地理和社会隔离相关,趾间Ⅳ区的特征性Da花纹及弓形纹缺失似可作为藏猴皮纹的一个特征。

SOCIAL-DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS OF MACACA-THIBETANA AT MOUNT-EMEI, CHINA

The development of infant Macaca thibetana was studied at Mount Emei, China, and compared to that of other macaque species. It was found that there are many common features in the process of infant socialization in species of the genus Macaca: mothers play an important and active role, other group members influence the infants' development to a greater or lesser extent and play is a major activity in the life of infants. Some differences were found to exist, however, between macaque species. These included differences in maternal care behaviour such as 'len', leaving time and weaning time. Paternal behaviours were also found to vary within and among species. Tibetan macaque males care for infants extensively, and they may use infants as an agonistic buffer. The natural and social environment may also influence differences between macaque species in infant development.

NATURAL FOODS AND THEIR ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR MACACA-THIBETANA AT MOUNT EMEI, CHINA

Natural food plants of partly provisioned groups of Macaca thibetana included about 196 species belonging to 135 genera and 72 families. The macaques consumed mainly bamboo shoots and fruits for about 2 months in autumn, whereas they relied on active or passive provisions from visitors, a variety of structural parts of plants and a small amount of invertebrates in late spring and summer and ate mainly mature leaves and bark for the rest of the year. About half of the species eaten came from the dense herb and shrub layers. This forest-dwelling species shows a distinctive feeding and foraging pattern in comparison with other macaques, explaining why M. thibetana has the largest body weight of all macaques.

EARLY MOTHER-INFANT RELATIONSHIPS OF MACACA-THIBETANA AT MT-EMEI CHINA

Quantitative data on early mother-infant relationships in the Tibetan macaque was collected during the first 23 weeks of infant life in spring, 1987, at Mt. Emei, China. During the first week of life, infants spent 98.3% of their time in ventroventral contact with their mothers. This contact rapidly decreased to 33.8% by the 4th week and thereafter to 0.85% by the 23rd week. Nipple contact decreased relatively slowly from 89.7% to 62.9% within the first 4 weeks of infant life and to 19.8% by the 23rd week. Ventrolateral and ventrodorsal contact appeared by the 2nd week, mean-while, maternal restraining behavior appeared, and reached a peak by the 3rd week. The mother neither encouraged nor discouraged her infant's independence during 4-8th weeks. Maternal rejection of the infant was first observed when the infant was 11 weeks old and continued thereafter.

DRAMATIC CONSEQUENCES OF FOOD HANDOUTS TO MACACA-THIBETANA AT MOUNT-EMEI, CHINA

Food handouts to Macaca thibetana at Mt. Emei have had dramatic consequences for both man and monkey as tourism has increased over the last decade. Food handouts and human submissive behaviour facilitate beg-robbing by the monkeys. which can be regarded as a mixed conditioning chain. Because of their lack of understanding of primate behaviour and resulting inappropriate responses, many visitors have lost possessions and have been severely frightened or even injured; in fact there have been 1 0 deaths as an indirect result over that past 8 years. The appropriate human response proved to be the display of dominance to maintain a distance from a beg-robbing monkey. Road-ranging macaques have also been injured or killed by visitors to obtain meat or bones or merely for amusement. Attempts should be made to eliminate the negative effects of food handouts by increasing visitors' awareness of behavioural and ecological aspects and through aversive conditioning of the macaques.