Molt in Free-Ranging Rhesus Monkeys, Macaca mulatta

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Abstract
The pattern of individual molt and the timing of molt are described for two insular populations of free-ranging rhesus monkeys at opposite ends of Puerto Rico. Molt, an annual event, began on the tail and crown; continued on the legs, hips, arms, and medial portions of the back; and terminated on the flanks. Adult males and nonpregnant adult females were the first to molt; last to molt were prepubertal young and adult females with young of the year. In both colonies molting began at the end of the mating season and extended beyond the end of the parturient season. Reproduction and molt occurred approximately 3 months earlier at Cayo Santiago, the eastern island, than at La Parguera, about 100 miles west in a drier climatic zone. The temporal correlation between molt and reproduction and the difference in time of molt between adult males and females suggest that hormonal changes influence the onset of molt.