SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN JAPANESE MONKEYS, <i>MACACA FUSCATA</i>

This report will add to already accumulated data those of the seventh species, the Japanese monkey, Macaca, whose social behavior have hitherto been accurately investigated in field studies.

Abstract

Among many species of monkeys and apes, there are only six whose social behavior have hitherto been accurately investigated in field studies.Reports on chimpanzees (24) by Nissen and on baboons (27) by Zuckerman are now rather classical.It may be rightly said that primate sociology was advanced markedly by the work of Carpenter.He re: ported on the behavior and social relations of howlers (2), spider monkeys (3) and gibbons (4).All of these investigations were carried out in natural habitat of the animals.Afterwards Carpenter reported on the sexual behavior of rhesus monkeys (5) which were released in Santiago Island, Puerto Rico, for the purpose of allowing them to establish experimental colonies.Chance recently reported also on the social structure of a colony of rhesus monkeys (6) on the Monkey Hill at the "Zoological Gardens", Regents Park, London.Collins and Southwich reported on that of howlers (7).So this report will add to already accumulated data those of the seventh species, the Japanese monkey, Macaca [uscala.Japanese monkeys are endemic to Japan.Shimolcita Peninsula at the north end of Honshii is the northern limit of their distribution as well as that of all the monkeys and apes in the world.Yakushima, an island south of Kagoshima, is the southern limit.No other wild species of monkeys lives in Japan.They are found usually in the thick forest of the mountain, where they gather in aggregations and live a social life.Animal sociology has not yet prepared a system of terminology denoting the difference of.levels of animal aggregations.Imanishi (8) proposed two terms, .. specia " and" oilcia," for this purpose.Speria denotes the aggregation of all individuals belonging to the same species which occupies a definite 'area on the globe.Every species of plants and animals has its own specia.For instance, the specia of Japanese monkeys is confined to Japan excluding Holclcaido.The basic unit of specia, the individual, ia called .. specion ".