The pair-bond of the common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus jacchus: an experimental investigation

Marmosets are cooperatively-breeding NHPs, highly prosocial, and form long-term male-female cooperative relationships.

“First, marmosets are cooperatively-breeding NHPs, and in contrast to many other primates, marmosets are highly prosocial and form long-term male-female cooperative relationships (Agmo, Smith, Birnie, & French, 2012; Burkart, Fehr, Efferson, & van Schaik, 2007; Evans, 1983; Schaffner, Shepherd, Santos, & French, 1995).”

Unlike prairie voles, marmosets display a flexible pattern of sociosexual preferences, including a willingness to interact with a potential mate in the absence of a pair-mate.

“However, unlike prairie voles, which display consistently strong sociosexual preferences for a long-term partner over an opposite-sex stranger (Wang and Aragona, 2004), marmosets display a flexible pattern of sociosexual preferences, similar to those displayed by humans (Buss and Schmitt, 1993), including a willingness to interact with a potential mate in the absence of a pair-mate (Evans, 1983;”

Marmosets belong to a clade of New World primates with diverse socially monogamous mating strategies, including high levels of sociality with a pair-mate, avoidance of a potential mate in the presence of a pair-mate, and aggressive responses to potential same-sex rivals.

“Marmosets (genus Callithrix) belong to a clade of New World primates (marmosets and tamarins) with a diverse set of socially monogamous mating strategies, including high levels of sociality with a pair-mate (Schaffner et al., 1995), avoidance of a potential mate in the presence of a pair-mate (Evans, 1983; Inglett et al., 1990), and aggressive responses to potential same-sex rivals (Ross et al., 2”

Male, but not female, marmosets typically display sexual solicitation behavior to a stranger in the absence of their mate.

“Male, but not female, marmosets (C. jacchus) typically display sexual solicitation behavior to a stranger in the absence of their mate.”

In the presence of their long-term partner, both male and female marmosets reduced the expression of sexual behavior and engaged in more aggressive behavior toward an unfamiliar conspecific.

“Furthermore, in the presence of their long-term partner, both male and female marmosets reduced the expression of sexual behavior and engaged in more aggressive behavior toward an unfamiliar conspecific (Evans, 1983).”