Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Harley, Heidi

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

Literature on sex-biased power in nonhuman primates typically portrays male dominance as the baseline assumption, perhaps due to human cultural biases. Yet recent research incorporating a broader range of taxa and a more inclusive framework of social power increasingly sheds light on the true diversity of intersexual power dynamics across species. For example, female-biased power structures are widespread across Malagasy lemurs, representing nearly 30% of all primate species. To expand research into female power in lemurs, the present study investigated patterns of intersexual interactions in two small, captive groups of Mongoose lemurs (Eulemur mongoz), an Adult Group (two males and two females) and a Family Group (a pair of adults and their male offspring), housed at the Lemur Conservation Foundation in Myakka, FL. Using focal animal observations, sex-biased power was assessed via traditional measures (frequency/direction of dyadic agonistic interactions) and alternative measures (frequency/direction of unidirectional social grooming; travel initiation by sex). Overall, females exhibited a significantly greater proportion of aggression compared to males, while males in both groups exhibited a significant majority of total submissive behaviors. Agonistic behavior was significantly heightened during observations within an hour of feeding sessions, strongly indicating female feeding priority in these groups. Females also received unidirectional grooming significantly more often from another female compared to other dyads in the Adult Group, and more often from a male compared to other dyads in the Family Group. Lastly, females in the Adult Group initiated a greater proportion of overall travel compared to males, while travel initiation was roughly equal between the sexes in the Family Group. Differences found in alternative measures of power between the Adult and Family Group suggest the need for follow-up research. Altogether, the findings presented here exemplify yet another exception to the conventional “rule” of male dominance portrayed across human and nonhuman primates and other mammalian species.

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