Aggression And Submission

 

· Aggression and submission in marmosets occurs under many different circumstances and includes a variety of aggressive and submissive behaviors.

· Aggression and submission commonly involves competition over resources (mates, food, territory) and the establishment or maintenance of social rank. While low-level, vocal aggression can be common in some primate species, all-out fighting is rare. Fighting often leads to serious injury to one or all contestants and is therefore very costly. For this reason, primates are more likely to rely on threats and displays more often than actual physical combat.

· The common marmoset, like many other primate species, is not particularly aggressive and fighting is rare. When aggression does occur, it is usually associated with both aggressive and submissive behaviors and vocalizations.

· Aggressive behaviors include:

· Piloerection

· Frown stare

· Biting

· Ear-tuft flick

· Submissive behaviors include:

· Facial submit

· Animals avoiding each other

· Ear-tufts flattened

· Two common vocalizations associated with aggressive encounters are ngä (which is submissive) and erh-erh (which is aggressive).

The Marmoset Monkey Page