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- Title
Birthing behavior of Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi): Accounts of two births at Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve, southwest Madagascar.
- Authors
Chen-Kraus, Chloe; Raharinoro, Njaratiana A.
- Abstract
Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) is a well-studied species of lemur, yet there is very little published information on behavior during parturition. During our focal observations of sifakas at Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve (BMSR) in July 2017 we witnessed two births, both strikingly similar in terms of the mother's behavior, physical position during labour and birth, and time of day. We recorded behavioral data for each mother during the birthing period using a combination of continuous and ad libitum sampling. The two females, belonging to two different social groups in the sustainable use zone of BMSR, had each given birth to surviving infants the previous year (2016). Both births occurred about 8-9 m above the ground in a tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) in the afternoon (between 14:30 and 16:00hrs) as the other individuals in the group were settling into their sleeping tree for the night. The mothers showed visible signs of discomfort pre-partum lasting between 20 and 30 minutes, ending when the mother pulled the neonate from the birth canal. Each mother then spent about three minutes cleaning the neonate before it moved up her chest to nurse. While the infant nursed, the mothers consumed the placenta and umbilical cord -- a process which lasted approximately 38 minutes. These data increase our knowledge of sifaka natural history and may also be of assistance to conservation practitioners seeking to protect critical resources for this endangered species.
- Subjects
MADAGASCAR; VERREAUX'S sifaka; PARTURITION
- Publication
Lemur News, 2019, Vol 22, p48
- ISSN
1608-1439
- Publication type
Article