Infanticide among golden marmots (Marmota caudata aurea) [L'infanticide parmi les marmottes dorèes].

Résumé

Fifty-percent (36/72) of golden marmot (Marmota caudata aurea) pups that emerged above their first summer in Dhee Sar, Khunjerab National Park, Pakistan, died before their forst hibernation. At least 22% (8/36) of this mortality was attributed to infanticide by new adult male group members. carcasses were not cannibilized, thus infanticide probably was not a form of resource exploitation. Adult females who lost their entire litters to presumed infanticide were not more likely to breed in subsequent years an observation inconsistent with infanticide being a form of sexual selection. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that males may kill unrelated pups to avoid providing care to unrelated young even though killed pups include potential future mates.