Aggression and Flight Behaviour of the Marmoset Monkey Callithrix jacchus: an Ethogram for Brain Stimulation Studies

Abstract

The aggressive and flight behavior of the common marmoset monkey (C. jacchus) is described and split into behavioral units, allowing analysis of agonistic behavior evoked by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus. The social context of the described units is also considered. C. jacchus shows early recognizable behavioral patterns. Free-born animals are very timid and show typical flight reactions. Within aggressive behavior, 2 types of aggression can be distinguished: very violent attacks causing severe injuries, often accompanied by particular threat displays and observed during dominance and territorial encounters, and relatively harmless short attacks, together with a noisy vocalization, for defensive purposes or keeping group members at a distance.