Social Hair Plucking’s Associations With Other Behaviors And Its Health Considerations In Captive Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta)

The study investigates social hair plucking (SHP) behaviors in captive rhesus macaques and their associations with other behaviors and health considerations, such as alopecia and body condition. The researchers used various statistical models to analyze the data, focusing on fixed effects to improve model performance. They found that factors like the count of non-SHP kin and SHP kin, aggression, and age were significant in understanding SHP dynamics and alopecia scores. The study highlights the importance of social dynamics and individual characteristics in influencing SHP and related health outcomes in macaques.