Observation of a birth in wild black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya)

SILVANA PEKER; PAVÉ, ROMINA; GABRIEL ZUNINO; MARTIN KOWALEWSKI

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Congreso; 76º Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists; 2007

American Association of Physical Anthropologists

We report the first case of a birth seen in a group of wild Alouatta caraya. Births are expected to occur at night and at a considerable height above ground to avoid diurnal predators. The observed birth occurred in daylight in a troop of 4 individuals (1 male, 2 adult females and 1 juvenile male) in a population on Brasilera Island (27° 20´ S-58° 40´ W), Argentina. The focal female has had 2 infants (including the newborn) in the last 3 years and both have survived. Prepartum behaviors included squatting and anogenital self-examination. During the birth, the female was situated approximately 17 m from the rest of her group on a Cecropia pachystachya branch 4 m above ground. The mother took a squatting posture during parturition and assisted the delivery with her hands. The infant was born at 17:45 hs, 5.4 min after first appearing at the vulva. The female started foraging 23 min after parturition, and the infant nursed for the first time 67 min after being born. The mother started eating the placenta 5.2 min after the birth and it was completely ingested 47 min after parturition. She moved to the sleeping tree 38 min after parturition, joining the rest of the group. Inspection of the infant by other members of the group took place the day after parturition with a permissive mother?s behavior. Distance from the ground of the female at birth, and the time of day at which the birth occurred suggests that predator avoidance was not involved.