The effect of infant vocalization in alloparental responsiveness of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Among mammals, alloparental care can be influenced by hormones as well as by previous experience and sensory stimuli from the infants, such as sight and sound, smell, and physical contact with the infant. To determine the responsiveness of common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) nonreproductive females and males with and without previous experience in caretaking to infant sensory cues, we exposed 12 females and 12 males to vocalization recordings for 10 min under two conditions: (1) exposure to adult conspecific vocalization recordings, and (2) exposure to infant vocalization recordings. We recorded the frequency of approach toward the sound source, the time spent near it and locomotion frequency of males and females in the cage under both conditions. Blood samples were collected after each test for cortisol measuring by EIA method. The infant vocalization affects the behavioral and hormonal responses of males and females of common marmosets. The animals approached and spent more time near the sound source and showed an increase in locomotion during infant vocalization exposure compared to the adult vocalization. However, there was no significant difference in the behavioral response of animals when previous experience and the sex were taken into account. In both sexes, cortisol levels were significantly higher following infant vocalization exposure compared to the adult vocalization. These findings suggest that the infant vocalization appears to be an effective cue that facilitates the approach of the caregiver and maintaining their responsiveness and that the cortisol seems to be important for alertness to sensory stimuli, modulating their motivation to interact with the infant.