'Allowing' Alloparenting | Learning from Langurs | Allomothers 💚

The Gray Langurs | Hanuman Langurs

& Alloparenting in Langurs

#intothewildwithrufus

#LifelessonsfromLangurs

The langur monkeys or Hanuman monkeys are unique in so many respects.

Firstly, they are folivorous, meaning their diet largely consists of leaves, shoots, bark, and unripe fruits.

Secondly, they are predominantly terrestrial (not arboreal), as they spend almost upto 80% of their day, on the ground.

Thirdly, they are known for alloparenting – a key cooperative behaviour, where individuals other than the biological mother help in nurturing and caring for the young ones. Particularly, other adult females in the group, often called “allomothers,” carry, groom, and protect the infants. This provides a crucial support system for the mother.

Fourthly, many langur species, particularly the Hanuman langurs, have shown high degrees of resilience and adaptability. They are hence found in a wide range of habitats, and more importantly, they have successfully adapted to living in close proximity to humans as well! 😊

Finally, they are known for their distinctive physical appearance - their jet-black faces, hands, and feet, contrasting with their light grey fur, and very long tails, that help in balancing them especially while climbing trees.

In their seminal book on the subject titled, Parenting Across the Life Span, Jane B. Lancaster observes –

A comparison between the human and nonhuman primate data on alloparenting reveals some fascinating analogies.

It may well be important to point out that humans exhibit alloparenting behavior in frequencies that definitely exceed the nonhuman primate data. 

Human parents regularly leave infants in the care of others and move to greater distances from them and for longer periods of time than do monkey and/or ape parents.

Among colobine Indian langur monkeys the early experience of the infant, which involves contact with an array of substitute care givers, possibly diminishing the strength of the infant’s relationship with its mother, prepares it for an adult social life independent of maternal support or status. 

Coming back –

Taking this concept a bit further - in fact, alloparenting has significant implications for pedagogy, influencing how children learn, develop, and interact within educational settings.

Traditionally, pedagogy focuses on parents and formal educators (teachers). Alloparenting highlights that a child’s learning environment is much wider, encompassing grandparents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbours, and even community members.

As the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child!” - reflecting the collective responsibility for nurturing and educating the young, and thereby recognizing and valuing the diverse influences on a child’s learning journey.

Bespeaks to the emphasis on learning as a deeply social and communal endeavour.

A highly effective and engaging pedagogy would then seek to integrate the diverse contributions of alloparents, fostering environments that support holistic child development and leverage the rich, multifaceted learning opportunities provided by a wider network of caregivers.