First study of an aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) mother's anxiety behaviors peripartum

Abstract

Anxiety is a negative psychological state induced by stress triggers that can be examined in animals which exhibit repetitive, self-directed behaviors. Primate mothers face anxiety due to birthing, infant health, and social relations. In this study, a mother aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) was observed to assess anxiety behaviors. It was hypothesized that the behaviors would change over time. With Duke IACUC approval, Pelco IMM12027-1S cameras were placed in the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) aye-aye mothers enclosure to record her activity. Over three days peripartum, full 24-hour footage and continuous focal animal sampling were used to note the time, duration, and type of repetitive scratching, grooming, etc. Data were then analyzed using Chi-square, Fishers Exact, and Kruskal Wallis tests. The results showed that the day before birth, the mother repeatedly constructed and deconstructed nests eight times more than engaging in any other behavior (n=212x), while on the day of birth, the mother scratched (n=87x) and groomed (n=60x) herself a lot. The day after birth, the mother was hyper-vigilant (n=32x). Thus, the hypothesis was supported as the mother exhibited signs of anxiety by engaging in different anxiety-related behaviors over the three-day period. While limitations such as a small sample size (n=1) and possible abnormal parturition behavior are evident, this study is the first to examine maternal anxiety in aye-ayes. The results can help husbandry staff create more comfortable environments for the rare and difficult-to-see captive aye-ayes.