Social convention of Japanese Macaques: intensive and extensive approach

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H02436
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nakagawa Naofumi 京都大学, 理学研究科, 教授 (70212082)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 上野 将敬 近畿大学, 総合社会学部, 講師 (30737432) ; 中道 正之 大阪大学, 人間科学研究科, 教授 (60183886) ; 下岡 ゆき子 帝京科学大学, 生命環境学部, 准教授 (70402782) ; 杉浦 秀樹 京都大学, 野生動物研究センター, 准教授 (80314243)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: ニホンザル / 社会的慣習 / 発達 / 長期変動 / 代替行動 / 群間変異 / 文化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this research project was to clarify the culture of social behavior in Japanese macaques from both intensive and extensive approaches. As for the former, we clarified the ontogeny of the embracing behavior in Yakushima. Not only in Katsuyama group where no embracing were seen, but also in Kinkazan group where embracing were seen, an alternative behavior, i.e., girney (vocalization) and lip-smack (facial expression), were admitted. We also found long-term fluctuations in the frequency of embracing behavior in Kinkazan. As for the latter, it was found that there was inter-group variation in the frequency of embracing in Yakushima. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted to broadly extract population variation in social behavior, and some behaviors with the potential for cultural variation were found.

Free Research Field

人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒト以外の霊長類の文化は、チンパンジーの道具使用の文化に象徴されるように物質文化に焦点が当てられてきた。他方、ヒトの文化では同じく注目されている挨拶に象徴される社会行動の文化については、最近その研究は端緒についたばかりである。本研究では、抱擁というニホンザルの社会行動の文化を、その発達、代替行動、長期変動、同一個体群内群間変異など、多様な側面から明らかにした。