Abstract
Field and laboratory data collected upon the Colobinae subfamily of Old World monkeys and, specifically, the Indian langurs (Presbytis entellus) will be used here to raise important questions about how the study of primate parenting might be approached. While the data on the Indian langur monkey describe only one of several parenting strategies which could be examined, the behavior and socioecology of this species have been studied by a great many investigators in diverse environmental settings. Consequently, a broad comparative perspective permits us to generate hypotheses about the origins of langur maternal care with some degree of confidence. It is possible that important variables elucidated by langur researchers may prove relevant to interpretations of infant care in other species. This proposition is justified because it is clear that langur maternal behavior emerged from a basic design common to all primates; however, certain features of that design such as degrees of maternal restrictiveness, rates of infant maturity, degrees of female-female competition, and so forth have been altered in specific ways primarily due to unique evolutionary circumstances. The challenge facing us is to elucidate how the processes of natural (including kin and sexual) selection produced and sculpted particular species differences, presumably to increase individual fitness. Moreover, we need to determine the underlying morphologic, physiologic, and anatomic adaptations influencing the form and nature of social structure within which maternal care develops (see Swartz and Rosenblum, this volume).
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McKenna, J.J. (1981). Primate Infant Caregiving Behavior. In: Gubernick, D.J., Klopfer, P.H. (eds) Parental Care in Mammals. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3150-6_10
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