Nonhuman primate species spend a conspicuous amount of time grooming during social interactions, a behaviour that probably serves both social and health-related functions. While the social implications of grooming have been relatively well studied, less attention has been paid to the health benefits, especially the removal of ectoparasites, which may act as vectors in disease transmission. In this study, we examined whether grooming behaviour reduced tick load (number of ticks) and haemoprotozoan infection status in a population of wild adult baboons (Papio cynocephalus). We found that younger and higher-ranking adults were groomed more often than older, low-ranking adults, and females were groomed more often than males. Animals that received more grooming, in turn, had lower tick loads. Baboons with lower tick loads had higher packed red cell volume (PCV or haematocrit), one general measure of health status. We detected a tick-borne haemoprotozoan, Babesia microti, but its low prevalence in the population precluded identifying sources of variance in infection.
Grooming and ectoparasite load in wild baboons.
This data set underlies results presented in Akinyi et al. 2013, Animal Behaviour, (Role of grooming in reducing tick load in wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus)). The study was conducted on adult members of a wild baboon population in Amboseli, southern Kenya. The data set includes demographic data on individual age, sex and group membership, as well as behavioural data on grooming and dominance rank. The dataset also includes tick counts and packed cell volume (PCV) analysis from baboons darted during darting and immobilization projects in 2007–2008. Subject numbers represent each individual data was collected for. Sex describes whether the individual was female (F) or male (M). Year darted indicates the year in which each individual was darted. Age describes each individual’s age (to the nearest year) at darting. Social group at darting categorises the group each individual belonged to at the time of darting and group size indicates the total number of individuals in the group during the six months that grooming data was retrieved. Grooming counts 6 months prior to darting contains the counts of grooming received by each study animal in the 6 months prior to their darting date. Mean PCV at darting is calculated from the average of two to three replicate PCV measurements were obtained per animal during darting. Adult and larvae tick counts are the number of ticks collected and counted from each individual. These data were extracted from the long-term relational database for the Amboseli Baboon Research Project, BABASE.
Akinyi_etal_2013_AnBeh_dataset1.xlsx
Summary of parasites in a wild baboon population
This data set is a summary of the parasites collected for the study reported in Akinyi et al. 2013, Animal Behaviour, (Role of grooming in reducing tick load in wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus)). The table indicates the types of parasites encountered and their relative abundance in the darted individuals. The ectoparasites data are presented by the species of ticks collected and the number collected in each animal. The blood parasite data indicate the haemoparasites screened for by PCR and whether the individuals screened were positive or negative.
Akinyi_etal_2013_AnBeh_dataset2.xlsx
