Infant presence and mother-infant conflict predict fetal loss in wild mandrills.

In wild mandrills, conceiving while still caring for an infant is linked to higher fetal loss probability, and infant tantrums are also associated with fetal loss.

• Why it matters: Overlapping gestation and maternal care can strain energy allocation, but it is unclear how mother–infant interactions and reproductive timing relate to fetal survival in natural populations.
• What they did: Using 11 years of data on 356 pregnancies from 117 wild female mandrills (52 fetal losses), the study tested whether infant presence, maternal rejection, and infant tantrums predict fetal loss.
• The result: Females with concurrent infant care show greater fetal loss risk and more maternal rejection, and higher infant tantrum rates predict greater fetal loss; fetal loss then precedes higher subsequent reproductive success.

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