First observation of a diurnal birth in wild owl monkeys (Aotus azarae), Formosa, Argentina
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31687/saremNMS22.3.2Keywords:
biparental care, cathemerality, parturition, placentaAbstract
Diurnal births are infrequent in primates and it has been suggested that giving birth at night would have certain adaptive advantages, such as decreasing the risk of predation or aggression towards mothers and offspring. We report the first diurnal birth event ever observed in owl monkeys, providing detailed descriptions of the birthing sequence. Owl monkeys are small, arboreal primates, unique in their activity patterns and uncommon in their social organization of pair-living and monogamous mating system. While providing insight into the behavioral strategies of owl monkeys during birth events, our observations contribute to a better understanding of the potential adaptive value of the timing of births.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Alba García de la Chica, Noelia Bogado, Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
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