The structure of social space among a captive group of vervet monkeys.
Proximity data collected during a 34-month longitudinal study of captive vervets are used to generate a quantitative, predictive model consistent with age, gender, kinship, and dominance status variables. Differential ontogenetic patterns of uterine and non-uterine passive contact and nearness are described for males and females, illustrating decreased distance with age in females and increased disperson for males. Proximal relationships are structured by kinship, although not uniformly across genders and age ranges. Higher-ranking kin-groups appear more cohesive, based on uterine contact and nearness, while non-uterine proximity is not significantly differentiated on the basis of matrilineal dominance.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002521:Cercopithecus; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D012930:Social Dominance; D013037:Spatial Behavior