Selective interference in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) intragroup agonistic episodes by age-sex class.
Adult male interference in agonistic episodes is strongly biased against adolescent and adult male participants, whereas adult female interference is biased in favor of kin and in support of younger animals against older animals. Although natal males also are biased in favor of their kin, their selective targeting of sexually mature males is independent of kinship. Adolescent males target adult males, but only in defense of kin. This selective interference against adolescent and adult males by adult males has the potential to profoundly modify male agonistic participation in intragroup encounters after puberty. Because female support is influenced primarily by kinship, females less consistently interfere against male agonistic participants. Adult males may therefore play an important role in the socialization of male agonistic expression.
D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression; D000378:Agonistic Behavior; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D008251:Macaca; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior