Infants as Social Magnets: The Influence of Births on Social Interactions in Redfronted Lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons).

ABSTRACT: Infant survival is an important component of parental fitness in iteroparous species with slow life histories. From the infant's perspective, survival can be more or less directly influenced by the social environment, with group members potentially representing either a threat or a buffer against external stressors. Therefore, studying social relationship patterns during early development may provide insights into the effect of social factors on infant survival. To understand how group members interact with infants, and whether social relationships change due to the presence of infants, we conducted focal behavioral observations on four groups of wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) during the birth season. Infant handling consisted mostly of grooming, while aggressive infant handlin

SUBMITTER: Pfaff A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12360686 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature