DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3r8n2
title: Data from: Role of grooming in reducing tick load in wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus)

description: Nonhuman primate species spend a conspicuous amount of time grooming
 during social interactions, a behaviour that probably serves both social
 and health-related functions. While the social implications of grooming
 have been relatively well studied, less attention has been paid to the
 health benefits, especially the removal of ectoparasites, which may act as
 vectors in disease transmission. In this study, we examined whether
 grooming behaviour reduced tick load (number of ticks) and haemoprotozoan
 infection status in a population of wild adult baboons (Papio
 cynocephalus). We found that younger and higher-ranking adults were
 groomed more often than older, low-ranking adults, and females were
 groomed more often than males. Animals that received more grooming, in
 turn, had lower tick loads. Baboons with lower tick loads had higher
 packed red cell volume (PCV or haematocrit), one general measure of health
 status. We detected a tick-borne haemoprotozoan, Babesia microti, but its
 low prevalence in the population precluded identifying sources of variance
 in infection.
description: Grooming and
 ectoparasite load in wild baboons.This data set underlies
 results presented in Akinyi et al. 2013, Animal Behaviour, (Role of
 grooming in reducing tick load in wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus)). The
 study was conducted on adult members of a wild baboon population in
 Amboseli, southern Kenya. The data set includes demographic data on
 individual age, sex and group membership, as well as behavioural data on
 grooming and dominance rank. The dataset also includes tick counts and
 packed cell volume (PCV) analysis from baboons darted during darting and
 immobilization projects in 2007–2008. Subject numbers represent each
 individual data was collected for. Sex describes whether the individual
 was female (F) or male (M). Year darted indicates the year in which each
 individual was darted. Age describes each individual’s age (to the nearest
 year) at darting. Social group at darting categorises the group each
 individual belonged to at the time of darting and group size indicates the
 total number of individuals in the group during the six months that
 grooming data was retrieved. Grooming counts 6 months prior to darting
 contains the counts of grooming received by each study animal in the 6
 months prior to their darting date. Mean PCV at darting is calculated from
 the average of two to three replicate PCV measurements were obtained per
 animal during darting. Adult and larvae tick counts are the number of
 ticks collected and counted from each individual. These data were
 extracted from the long-term relational database for the Amboseli Baboon
 Research Project, BABASE.Akinyi_etal_2013_AnBeh_dataset1.xlsxSummary of parasites in a wild baboon populationThis data set is a summary of the parasites collected for the study reported in Akinyi et al. 2013, Animal Behaviour, (Role of grooming in reducing tick load in wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus)). The table indicates the types of parasites encountered and their relative abundance in the darted individuals. The ectoparasites data are presented by the species of ticks collected and the number collected in each animal. The blood parasite data indicate the haemoparasites screened for by PCR and whether the individuals screened were positive or negative.Akinyi_etal_2013_AnBeh_dataset2.xlsx