Growth and developmental body composition of the cebus monkey (Cebus albifrons)

Abstract

The carcasses of 37 Cebus albifrons, Colombia (19 male, 17 female, 1 unknown) with ages ranging from premature stillborn to 8 yr, were analyzed for body composition. The absolute content of water, protein, fat, and ash were determined by standard techniques and were analyzed as functions of carcass weight and age. The weight of the carcass was directly proportional to the whole body weight over the entire range of weights studied. All parameters but fat were linearly related to carcass weight; the relationships of protein and water to age were best described by exponential equations, whereas that of ash to age was linear. Variability in the fat content of the carcass precluded the fitting of predictive equations on the basis of either weight or age. Analysis of the relative (percent) composition of both the whole and fat-free carcass provided exponential equations to describe the pattern of development of protein, water, and their ratio. Using these mathematical models, it was calculated that chemical maturity, with regard to water and protein, probably occurred by 8 wk of age. Percent ash composition of whole carcass and fat-free carcass was described by linear equations. Longitudinal growth data from 89 male and 76 female C. albifrons, born and reared in the departmental breeding colony, were obtained over 12 yr. An exponential equation relating body weight to age (R² = 0.999) described the patern of growth for the first 2 yr of life; thereafter, the pattern was more varied as the animals approached and reached sexual maturity.

Keywords: Cebus albifrons; body composition; development; growth; mathematical models; tissue maturation.