Patterns of Range Use and Social Organization in Aye-Ayes (Daubentonia Madagascariensis) on Nosy Mangabe

Abstract

During a two-year field study on aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) ecology and behavior on the island of Nosy Mangabe, I collected information on mating, spacing, and social behavior in 6 males and 2 females. Daubentonia spacing patterns on Nosy Mangabe are different from those of other nocturnal primates studied to date. Male home ranges overlaped greatly, while female home ranges rarely overlapped. Large female home ranges make it difficult for males to defend a single female and her territory. This, coupled with preliminary evidence of asynchronous breeding seasons, would explain why males exhibited polygyny rather than monogamy and did not exhibit long-term defense of resources. However, peculiarities of Nosy Mangabe - small size, lack of predator pressure, limited immigration and emigration opportunities - may affect the social organization of the species on the island. The results of this study indicate that spacing systems do not adequately represent the breadth of diversity in social and mating systems across species and that they should only be used as a first order variable in determining categories of social organization in nocturnal primates.