Relationships between Aggression, Scent Marking and Gonadal State in a Primate, the Tamarin Saguinus Fuscicollis

Abstract

In many mammals chemical signals are important in the control of aggressive behavior and social dominance (c.f. Ralls, 1971; Thiessen, 1976). Aggressive behavior and the ability to establish and maintain a high social rank, on the other hand, are influenced by an individual’s endocrine condition and, in turn, affect its endocrinology. In male rodents gonadal hormones are of crucial importance in the development and maintenance of intraspecific aggression and in chemical communication (Bronson and Desjardins, 1971; Hart, 1974; Leshner, 1975; Quadagno et al., 1977; Thiessen, 1976). In primates our understanding of the hormonal control of aggression and social dominance, and their relation to chemical communication, is poorer than in rodents. However, reports on changes in aggressive behavior and scent marking which coincide with gonadal activation during the breeding season (Harrington, 1975; Jolly, 1967; Mazur, 1976; Schilling, 1974), on the influence of androgens on the fetal nervous system (c.f. Eaton et al., 1973; Rose et al., 1974) and on the effects of gonadectomy and hormone therapy (c.f. Mazur, 1976) show that the gonads are of some importance in controlling primate aggression and chemical communication.