A comparison of activity patterns for captive Propithecus tattersalli and Propithecus coquereli

• Published in: Zoo biology Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 128 - 136
• Main Authors: Wallace, Gregory L., Paquette, Lisa B., Glander, Kenneth E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: allogrooming; Animals; Animals, Zoo - physiology; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Circadian Rhythm; Coquerel's sifaka; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Female; female dominance; golden-crowned sifaka; lemur; Male; Motor Activity - physiology; Propithecus tattersalli; Social Behavior; Strepsirhini - physiology; lemur; Coquerel's sifaka; female dominance; allogrooming; social behavior; golden-crowned sifaka
• ISSN: 0733-3188; 1098-2361
• DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21258

The activity patterns and social interactions of two species of captive sifaka were observed during a 2‐year period. Allogrooming was not observed in golden‐crowned sifaka and they spent significantly more time resting than the Coquerel's sifaka. Females of both species were found to be dominant to males. The golden‐crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) spent significantly less time feeding than the Coquerel's sifaka. Temperature, time of day, species, and interpair comparisons for the golden‐crowned sifaka were found to affect activity and social interactions, while gender did not. Like the Coquerel's sifaka, the golden‐crowned sifaka was found to be diurnal; however, they differed in that the golden‐crowned sifaka did not descend to the ground. Zoo Biol. 35:128–136, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.