Neotropical Primates 18(1), June 2011

Adult male-immature interactions in non-human primates range from aggressive displays – their extreme expression being infanticide (Bartlett et al., 1993) – agonistic buffering (Taub, 1980), tolerance or indifference (Baldwin & Baldwin, 1973) to affiliative and caretaking (Riedman, 1982; Buchan et al., 2003). In some monogamous species such as tamarins and marmosets (reviewed in Riedman, 1982), males participate in parental care almost as frequently as mothers. Indeed in these species, the adult males’ reproductive efforts include parental care – (mainly expressed in infant transportation)and not just mating costs as in polygamous species (Key & Aiello, 2000). Some forms of paternal care, particularly protection from danger, are also seen in polygamous species (e.g. savannah baboons, Papio cynocephalus; Buchan et al., 2003).