How monkeys are born. Wild monkeys can be "obstetricians" for pregnant friends
Childbirth in women is accompanied by pain and can last an hour or more. Therefore, during childbirth there is usually a midwife present to help the woman in labor.
In other mammals, including our closest relatives, primates, the process is much simpler, although it can cause a number of inconveniences, especially if the pregnancy is long and the fetus is quite large.
It is all the more surprising for scientists to discover examples of “obstetrics” in the wild! The last case refers to the black rhinopithecus, monkeys from mountainous regions southwest China. Black rhinopithecus live in flocks of up to four hundred individuals, but inside each there is small groups, numbering about a dozen monkeys and consisting of a male, several females and offspring (although there are also purely “male” companies).
Researchers from Dali University in Yunnan Province (China) were able to observe the process of childbirth in a young female. The birth took place in a tree and took about fifteen minutes. At the tenth minute, another monkey came running to the cries of the woman in labor - just at the moment when the baby’s head emerged from the mother’s genital tract.
Females of black rhinopithecus strengthen bonds within the group, helping each other during childbirth. (Photo by Ma Xiaobo Photography China.) When the whole head came out, the female arrived in time and grabbed the cub and pulled it out, after which she tore the afterbirth on it.
A minute later, the mother took the baby from the assistant, bit the umbilical cord and began to eat the placenta. After a few more minutes, the “midwife” descended from the tree to the ground and continued the search for food, which she had been doing before the birth. The scientists published their observations in the journal Behavioral Processes. Although childbirth can be difficult in monkeys, situations where the giving birth female cannot cope on her own are very rare. So the participation of the “midwife” can serve rather to strengthen social connections
. Monkeys often pull out the baby themselves, and observant females can repeat this procedure with others. We should also not forget that primates often live in closely knit groups, like the same rhinopithecus, in which all members are also connected family ties
However, examples of “obstetrics” in wild animals are extremely rare. This is what male tamarins do, for example. And female langurs use grooming to help the mother in labor relieve stress and relax.
Moreover, midwifery habits can be observed not only in primates: one of the most striking examples is Djungarian hamsters, which facilitate the birth of cubs by carefully pulling them out with their front paws and even their mouths.
For many years, researchers watched the monkeys, and finally they managed to see amazing picture: Wild golden snub-nosed monkeys sometimes give birth not alone, but with the help of a midwife. This a rare event gave scientists the opportunity to study social and natural factors, which influence the birth of these Chinese primates, reports "UP" with reference to the BBC, reports.
Most often, monkeys give birth at night, as darkness makes them less vulnerable to predators than daylight.
This means that what scientists saw is a rare occurrence.
The daybirth, during which scientists were able to see the birth of a monkey, lasted only 4 minutes and 10 seconds. It happened in the Qinling Mountains in China.
The second female monkey, a midwife, was with the woman in labor the entire time, helping her at the first sign of discomfort. The monkey began to caress the expectant mother when the contractions became obvious and painful.
When the baby's head appeared, the midwife attempted to remove the monkey from the birth canal.
The mother took control of the situation when the baby's head was completely out, but her “friend” did not leave and helped until the monkey was born. And then she took care of her mother.
The woman in labor bit the umbilical cord and ate the placenta.
Once the baby was cleaned and fed, the midwife was allowed to hold and lick it.
Only 77 minutes passed after the birth, the mother forbade all other monkeys to hold the baby, and began to take care of him on her own.
Previously, scientists observed somewhat similar situations in black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys and langur species. However, since the birth took place at night, it was difficult for scientists to evaluate what they saw.
However, zoologists were previously confident that birth allowance was not common among wild primates.
Most primates, as well as many other animals, give birth at night to avoid predators. In addition, this allows the young mother to have time to recover and begin to feed her baby. This means that scientists don't have to watch wild primates being born as often.
Human behavior of some primates
Yet after five years of monitoring a group of golden snub-nosed monkeys, researchers were finally able to see one of the females give birth during the day. Scientists even managed to take a photo of this event.
But the surprises don't end there, as the young mother did not go through childbirth alone. Next to her was a second female, who not only calmed the woman in labor, but also helped her clean the baby. This clearly indicates “human” behavior, although scientists have previously concluded that only a few primates act as midwives for their relatives, including one of our closest relatives, the Binabo. Why do so few primates do this?
What influenced the development of obstetrics?
It was initially thought that the development of human obstetrics was influenced by the position of the fetus during birth. In other primate species, after the baby is born, the mother is able to immediately pick it up and clean it Airways. A person does not have such an opportunity.
However, in 2011, scientists were no longer so confident in this theory. They were lucky enough to witness the birth of a chimpanzee for the first time. It turned out that the position of the fetus during childbirth in these primates is the same as in humans. However, chimpanzees do not have “midwives”.
How does childbirth occur in monkeys?
But in the case of golden snub-nosed monkeys, researchers found that as soon as the pregnant female began to show signs of the beginning of the birth process, the second one came to her aid. She stayed by my side when the contractions started and helped pull the baby out. After the mother fed and licked the baby, she allowed the second female to wash it again. For several hours after giving birth, the mother allowed the "midwife" and another female to hold the baby. At the same time, the young monkeys, who also came to look at the woman in labor, were immediately driven away.
The birth lasted just 4 minutes and 10 seconds, after which the young mother severed the umbilical cord and then ate the placenta to restore vital nutrients in organism. The second female remained next to her all this time. It's still unknown how common this behavior is in monkeys, but researchers hope to answer the question by filming births at night. They want to see if other females will be as attentive.