The primary goal of this Dissertation Improvement research is to study affiliative patterns and social relationships in adult male ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in Madagascar. This is a particularly interesting species for such study as the ringtailed lemur is characterized by female dominance, multimale organization and male migration in contrast to the patterns found in many of the other primates. Data will be collected on the frequency and nature of affiliative behaviors between males and between males and females over the period of 14 months; thus covering annual temporal variation. The information obtained will be related to the seasonal reproductive behavior patterns, seasonal variation and the female dominance found in this species. This will be the first detailed examination of male social relationships in a female dominant primate.
