霊長類学の発展に餌付けが果たした役割

概要

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Primatology in Japan after the World War II began in the late 1940s with the observation of shy wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) from more than 100 m. Depending on artificial feeding students succeeded to observe macaques within a short distance and identified each individual. Individual identification of calm free-ranging macaques within a short distance made it possible to record individual and social behavior of each identified individual in detail; long-lasting kin-recognition between a mother and her offspring, dominance relations among individuals and kin-groups, and then, social organization. Artificial feeding is a form of semi-experimental manipulation introduced into the wild monkey groups. This paper showed how students contributed to the primate studies under such a condition at Koshima, Takasakiyama and Katsuyama. Some behaviors, particularly cultural ones, were found only in the artificially-fed groups. Some other exceptional or uncommon phenomena or behaviors seen in non-artificially-fed groups were recorded, with many episodes sufficient for statistical analysis at artificially-fed groups. As far as we are cautious that artificial feeding is semi-experimental manipulation on the wild monkey groups, we can find out more about the important nature of human and non-human primates and evolutionary relations of them.
日本霊長類学会の論文