What's New in Nonhuman Primate Behavioral Management

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of pregnancy and hair cortisol concentrations on alopecia in rhesus macaques. Alopecia was not associated with hair cortisol; however both alopecia and hair cortisol were associated with pregnancy.

This study examined the correlation between peripheral oxytocin and prosocial behavior in adult male rhesus macaques. We found that plasma oxytocin levels were highly correlated between members of pairs of macaques. Monkeys who engaged in more prosocial had higher oxytocin than monkeys who engaged in lower levels of prosocial behavior. Interestingly, oxytocin did not differ between single housed and highly affiliative pair-housed animals.