Embracing behavior of Japanese macaques on Shodoshima Island

The embracing behavior of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) is a limited number of non-technological and non-subsistence behavior with cultural variations. Existing data were obtained from only two populations. This study first reports the behavior of a provisioned Japanese macaque group on Shodoshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture. Embracing behavior of three adult males and 14 adult females were recorded using focal animal sampling over three months. Behaviors immediately before and after embracing were analyzed. A total of 39 embracing behaviors were observed. Only five females exhibited embracing and there was no evidence of social transmission of this behavior, indicating that embracing is not ingrained as a “culture” in this population. Four of the five females were young adults, suggesting that females, specifically young individuals, were more prone to the behavior. Behaviors immediately before and after embracing tended to be grooming or huddling, suggesting that embracing reduces the tension triggered by physical contact and spatial proximity. This study contributes to the knowledge of cultural variations in non-technological or non-subsistence behaviors.