Troop Takeover and Reproductive Success of Wild Male Japanese Macaques on Yakushima Island (Macaca fuscata yakui)

Male Japanese macaques on Yakushima Island (Macaca fuscata yakui) employ troop takeover as a reproductive strategy, achieving higher success rates compared to resident males despite a low overall offspring siring rate of 33.3%. Unlike one-male groups, takeovers in multimale troops occur exclusively during the mating season, with non-troop males (NTMs) rarely cooperating and former alpha males seldom expelled. New alpha males do not commit infanticide, and their tenure lasts less than two years on average. Logistic regression analysis identified the number of NTMs associating with a troop as a key predictor for takeover events. Paternity discrimination revealed that while takeover success is low, it remains a viable alternative strategy for reproductive success in male Japanese macaques.

Hayakawa, S., & Soltis, J. (2011). Troop Takeover and Reproductive Success of Wild Male Japanese Macaques on Yakushima Island (Macaca fuscata yakui). International Journal of Zoology, 2011, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/308469