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Individual, social, and environmental factors affecting salivary and fecal cortisol levels in captive pied tamarins (Saguinus bicolor)
Wormell, Dominic Smith, Tessa Price, Eluned Ahsmann, Judith Glendewar, Gale Hunt, Jenna Coleman, Robert C.
Wormell, Dominic
Smith, Tessa
Price, Eluned
Ahsmann, Judith
Glendewar, Gale
Hunt, Jenna
Coleman, Robert C.
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2019-08-01
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Abstract
Pied tamarins (Saguinus bicolor) are endangered New World primates, and in captivity
appear to be very susceptible to stress. We measured cortisol in 214 saliva samples
from 36 tamarins and in 227 fecal samples from 27 tamarins, and investigated
the effects of age, sex, pregnancy, rearing history, social status, weight, group
composition, and enclosure type using generalized linear mixed models. There was no
effect of age on either fecal or salivary cortisol levels. Female pied tamarins in late
pregnancy had higher fecal cortisol levels than those in early pregnancy, or
nonpregnant females, but there was no effect of pregnancy on salivary cortisol.
Females had higher salivary cortisol levels than males, but there was no effect of
rearing history. However, for fecal cortisol, there was an interaction between sex and
rearing history. Hand‐reared tamarins overall had higher fecal cortisol levels, but
while male parent‐reared tamarins had higher levels than females who were parent‐
reared, the reverse was true for hand‐reared individuals. There was a trend towards
lower fecal cortisol levels in subordinate individuals, but no effect of status on
salivary cortisol. Fecal but not salivary cortisol levels declined with increasing weight.
We found little effect of group composition on cortisol levels in either saliva or feces,
suggesting that as long as tamarins are housed socially, the nature of the group is of
less importance. However, animals in off‐show enclosures had higher salivary and
fecal cortisol levels than individuals housed on‐show. We suggest that large on‐show
enclosures with permanent access to off‐exhibit areas may compensate for the
effects of visitor disturbance, and a larger number of tamarins of the same species
housed close together may explain the higher cortisol levels found in tamarins living
in off‐show accommodation, but further research is needed.
Citation
Price, E., Coleman, R., Ahsmann, J., Glendewar, G., Hunt, J., Smith, T., & Wormell, D. (2019). Individual, social, and environmental factors affecting salivary and fecal cortisol levels in captive pied tamarins (Saguinus bicolor). American Journal of Primatology, 81(8), e23033. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23033
Publisher
Wiley
Journal
American Journal of Primatology
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Article
Language
en
Description
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Price, E., Coleman, R., Ahsmann, J., Glendewar, G., Hunt, J., Smith, T. & Wormell, D. (2019). Individual, social, and environmental factors affecting salivary and fecal cortisol levels in captive pied tamarins (Saguinus bicolor). American Journal of Primatology, 81(8), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23033. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving
Series/Report no.
ISSN
0275-2565
EISSN
1098-2345