Variation of Body Color within Macaques, Especially in the Japanese Macaques

概要

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Variation of body color was investigated quantitatively among Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) and compared with other species of the genus Macaca, using a digital color meter. Color is expressed by three values: lightness, red-green, and yellow-blue. The most prominent variation of body color in Japanese macaques is well defined by geography, and the lightness correlates well with the winter temperature. However, the geographical body color cline can be also explained as cryptic function. On the other hand, groups of the Japanese macaques living in peripheral parts of Japan tend to show the varied body color. This pattern of appearance is similar to those of other morphological characters, such as skull, and it may be related to the genetic drift. The hypothesis that the cryptic coloring is the primary function for the body color in macaques, is supported also by the analysis of body color of other species of macaques, taking ecological settings of their living places into consideration.
日本霊長類学会の論文