The effects of temperament on pairing success in female rhesus macaques (2003)

McMillan, J., Maier, A., Tully, L. et al.

Abstract

We examined whether temperament has any effect on pairing success in 12 adult female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) that had one successful (co-housed for at least 3 months without any overt aggression) and one unsuccessful (never co-housed due to immediate aggression) pairing attempt. We assessed temperament in these monkeys, along with their two partners, by measuring their reaction to novel objects (e.g., a brightly colored novel toy) presented to them in their home cages. Every monkey received a score from 0-6 based on her reaction to the novelty. .. Temperament scores were more similar between the focal monkeys and their successful partner than their unsuccessful partner (Z=2.1, p=0.03). These results suggest that assessing temperament with a simple testing paradigm may be useful in forming successful pairs.