Abstract
Mother-infant behavior of 9 vervet monkey mothers who had failed in their last pregnancy were compared to the behavior of 14 mothers who had been successful in the prior year and to 11 primiparous mothers. The results indicated that females responded to the loss of one infant by increasing their level of care for their next infant. Females who had failed in their last pregnancy encouraged ventral contact and were more restrictive of their infant's movements, they gave more care and attention to their infants, and they played a greater part in keeping their infants near, compared to mothers who had been successful in their last pregnancy. Mothers who had failed in their last pregnancy were also more attentive and protective toward their infants than primiparous mothers who had had no prior reproductive experience. The increase in maternal care by females who had failed in their last pregnancy was accompanied by an increase in the interval to the birth of their next infant. These differences could not be completely explained by differences in the mothers' age or in the presence of other immature offspring. They suggest that vervet mothers can adjust their level of parental care based on the quality of their past experience, and that these adjustments have an effect on the mother's future reproductive potential.
Published Version
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