Descriptive accounts of the behavior of breeding and nonbreeding pairs of golden‐bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus galeritus chrysogaster)

Abstract

Four adult heterosexual pairs of golden‐bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus galeritus chrysogaster) were observed at the Sacramento Zoo. The behaviors of the pairs differed with the histories of the individuals involved, degrees of swelling of the females, presence of offspring in their cages, and the nature of distractions near their enclosures. Young wild‐born adults without a nursing‐aged infant displayed sexual behavior and observer‐directed threats. Experienced wild‐born breeders with nursing‐aged infants and older juveniles showed intense interest in the sexual behavior of the young pair. These breeders displayed mild aggression, both protective and punitive, toward the juveniles and the infant living with them. Captive and abnormally behaving adults displayed self‐biting, bizarre postures, and other stress‐related behaviors as well as large amounts of visitor‐directed aggression. An experienced breeder male paired with the captive female was unable to achieve copulation. To reduce stress in these and other relatively aggressive primate species, careful attention should be paid to housing location, social history, stage of estrus, and presence of offspring.