Morphometric Analysis of Growth in Captive-bred Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina Linnaeus 1766)

Abstract

ABSTRACT
 The pig-tailed macaque has a high vulnerability to human infectious disease pathogens as well as nonhuman primate viruses, making it a good animal model for biomedical research. The goals of this research are to better understand the morphometric and growth rate variations between male and female pig-tailed macaques living in tropical captivity as their natural climate, which will be useful in developing research techniques as well as modifying and developing equipment and instruments.
 The research was carried out on captive pig-tailed macaques born and kept at the Research Animal Facility in Lodaya (RAF-L) Primate Research Center IPB University (PRC-IPB). The characteristics were separated into four categories: head size, torso, upper limb, and lower limb. During the study period, 70 animals were measured, 32 males and 38 females. The repetition of measurements at distinct timepoints according to body development varies for each individual depending on the animal's situation at that time.
 There was no visible difference in body and extremity sizes between male and female animals between the ages of 1 and 4 years. Males' head proportions appear to expand consistently in height and width after they are beyond 2 years old, in contrast to females. The growth trend of females tends to decrease from one year of age until sexual maturity, in contrast to males which show a growth spurt at the ages of 1 and 4 years. Differences in size and growth rate indicating sexual dimorphism are visible after the female reaches sexual maturity.