MacaqueNet's mission is to facilitate and encourage collaboration between macaque researchers,
allowing us to address questions that single-species studies cannot. Through cross-species comparative research, we can shed light on the drivers of variation in sociality across species, which will help us better understand the evolution of social relationships and friendship.
allowing us to address questions that single-species studies cannot. Through cross-species comparative research, we can shed light on the drivers of variation in sociality across species, which will help us better understand the evolution of social relationships and friendship.
|
Why Macaques?
The genus Macaca is one of the best-studied primate taxa. All macaque species share a similar social organisation, with individuals living in large, mixed-sex social groups, males dispersing to a new group once they reach sexual maturity, and females remaining in the group where they were born throughout their lives. However, different macaque species differ greatly in the structure of their social networks. In some macaque species, individuals form strong bonds with only a few preferred partners, whereas in other species relationships are more undifferentiated and individuals are tolerant towards most of their group members. Our deep knowledge of the ecology and social lives of macaques, along with the availability of detailed observational data for many of the macaque species, make the Macaca genus an ideal study system in which to test the social and ecological drivers of variation in social behaviour. |
We would like to thank each and every one of our collaborators who are part of MacaqueNet!
|
MacaqueNet is an international network of researchers who have collected data on macaques from all over the world. Thanks to this global collaboration, we have been able to create an unparalleled multi-species macaque database. The database will contain social behavioural data from at least 15 of the 24 recognised macaque species, collected over the last few decades by over 90 researchers at 56 different field sites. Available social data will include matrices of grooming, aggression, body-contact and proximity.