Perinatal Hypothermia and Maternal Temperature Declines During Labor in Pigtailed Macaques (Macaca-Nemestrina)

Body temperature, respiration, and heart rate were recorded for 90 perinatal pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) within the first hour after birth. Hypothermia and corresponding depressed respiration and heart rate were evident in all animals. Regression analysis revealed that time‐since‐birth accounted for most of the observed variance in all measures. Temperatures of three pregnant females were monitored during labor and delivery. Declines in maternal temperature during labor suggested that depressed maternal temperature influenced the observed hypothermia in newborns. Increases in ambient (cage) temperatures during labor indicated that the females were emitting heat while declining in temperature.