TY - JOUR
T1 - No birth-associated maternal mortality in Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) despite giving birth to large-headed neonates
AU - Pink, Katharina E.
AU - Fischer, Barbara
AU - Huffman, Michael A.
AU - Miyabe-Nishiwaki, Takako
AU - Suda-Hashimoto, Naoko
AU - Kaneko, Akihisa
AU - Wallner, Bernard
AU - Pflüger, Lena S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.
PY - 2024/10/15
Y1 - 2024/10/15
N2 - Human fetuses at term are large relative to the dimensions of the maternal birth canal, implying that their birth can be associated with difficulties. The tight passage through the human birth canal can lead to devastating outcomes if birth becomes obstructed, including maternal and fetal death. Although macaques have to accommodate similarly large fetuses, relative to their maternal birth canals, it was not known whether macaque mothers face birth difficulties similar to humans. Based on 27 y of demographic data from a semi-free-ranging, closely monitored population of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), we found no birth-associated mortality in macaques. This differs from the situation in many human populations. We suggest three nonmutually exclusive hypotheses to explain these observations. i) The macaque fetal skull is similarly flexible as the human fetal skull. ii) The macaque pelvis and connective tissue show greater flexibility during birth. iii) The interplay between macaque pelvic shape and birth dynamics is smoother and incurs fewer complications than in humans.
AB - Human fetuses at term are large relative to the dimensions of the maternal birth canal, implying that their birth can be associated with difficulties. The tight passage through the human birth canal can lead to devastating outcomes if birth becomes obstructed, including maternal and fetal death. Although macaques have to accommodate similarly large fetuses, relative to their maternal birth canals, it was not known whether macaque mothers face birth difficulties similar to humans. Based on 27 y of demographic data from a semi-free-ranging, closely monitored population of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), we found no birth-associated mortality in macaques. This differs from the situation in many human populations. We suggest three nonmutually exclusive hypotheses to explain these observations. i) The macaque fetal skull is similarly flexible as the human fetal skull. ii) The macaque pelvis and connective tissue show greater flexibility during birth. iii) The interplay between macaque pelvic shape and birth dynamics is smoother and incurs fewer complications than in humans.
KW - evolution of birth | feto-pelvic disproportion
KW - maternal mortality
KW - primates
UR - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2316189121
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205783417&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2316189121
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2316189121
M3 - Article
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 121
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
IS - 42
M1 - e2316189121
ER -