Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
We believe this dearth of research is lamentable. Would it not be inform-
ative to know which aspects of behavior vary or are changeable in different
locations and habitats and which are fixed and unchanging? What aspects of
the behavioral repertoire are adaptable and what aspects are species-specific?
Obviously, currently, there are not enough data to answer questions such as
these. However, in this paper, we propose to use information available on the
introduced population of Mauritian long-tailed macaques to provide a pos-
sible framework for approaching these types of questions.
It is likely that the population colonizing Mauritius included less than 100
individuals (Lawler
et al
.,
1995
), probably being brought to Europe to be sold
for display in menageries which were popular at that time. The macaques have
done extremely well in Mauritius, even though the environment is radically
different from their place of origin. For example, the species composition of
the forests in Mauritius is completely different from that in Southeast Asia. As
far as we know, the plant species composing the diet of Mauritian macaques
differs almost entirely from those of Asian populations.
We will discuss a few aspects of the ecology and behavior of Mauritian
macaques in the hope of generating interest in obtaining comparative data.
Where they exist, we will point out a few interesting comparisons between
this introduced population and those living in Asia. Finally, we will discuss
macaque-human interactions in Mauritius, where they are seen as sacred ani-
mals, possible tourist attractions, and an export cash crop for medical research,
on the one hand, and as agricultural pests, threats to the endemic flora and
fauna, and specialty culinary items on the other.
The topography, climate, and vegetation of Mauritius
Mauritius is an island situated a few degrees north of the Tropic of Capricorn.
It is only 62 km long and 45 km wide but has a remarkable climatic and habitat
diversity because of dramatic local variation in relief. There is an elevated and
undulating central plateau that yields gradually in the east, and more sharply
on the other sides of the island, to a coastal plain that is relatively narrow in the
west and south, and wider elsewhere. The northern portion of the island is flat
and low-lying, and is the only major region that lacks the spectacular erosional
remnant massifs that dramatically rise in places to over 800 m. Rainfall is high-
est on the plateau, peaking at about 5,000 mm/year, and is lowest in the north
and west, where it often is below 1,000 mm/year. Seventy percent of the rain
falls in the cyclone season, between December and April. Temperatures are
higher on the coast than on the plateau (by about 2
0
C), with an average daily
