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ABSTRACT: The ability to recognize other individuals' mental states-their knowledge and beliefs, for example-is a fundamental part of human cognition and may be unique to our species. Tests of a "theory of mind" in animals have yielded conflicting results. Some nonhuman primates can read others' intentions and know what others see, but they may not understand that, in others, perception can lead to knowledge. Using an alarm-call-based field experiment, we show that chimpanzees were more likely to alarm call in response to a snake in the presence of unaware group members than in the presence of aware group members, suggesting that they recognize knowledge and ignorance in others. We monitored the behavior of 33 individuals to a model viper placed on their projected travel path. Alarm calls were significantly more common if the caller was with group members who had either not seen the snake or had not been present when alarm calls were emitted. Other factors, such as own arousal, perceived risk, or risk to receivers, did not significantly explain the likelihood of calling, although they did affect the call rates. Our results suggest that chimpanzees monitor the information available to other chimpanzees and control vocal production to selectively inform them.
Current biology: CB 12/2011; 22(2):142-6. · 10.99 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Analyses of the pattern of associations, social interactions, coalitions, and aggression among chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) in the Okavango Delta of Botswana over a 16-year period indicate that adult females form close, equitable, supportive, and enduring social relationships. They show strong and stable preferences for close kin, particularly their own mothers and daughters. Females also form strong attachments to unrelated females who are close to their own age and who are likely to be paternal half-sisters. Although absolute rates of aggression among kin are as high as rates of aggression among nonkin, females are more tolerant of close relatives than they are of others with whom they have comparable amounts of contact. These findings complement previous work which indicates that the strength of social bonds enhances the fitness of females in this population and support findings about the structure and function of social bonds in other primate groups.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 11/2010; 64(11):1733-1747. · 3.18 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Longevity is a major component of variation in fitness in long-lived iteroparous species [1-4]. Among female baboons, variation in breeding lifespan accounts for approximately 50% of the variation in lifetime fitness [5, 6]. However, we know little about the causes of variation in longevity in primates or other long-lived mammals. Savannah baboons form strong, equitable, and enduring relationships with specific female partners, particularly with close relatives and agemates [7-10]. The quality of females' social relationships influences their ability to cope with stressful events [11-13] and is associated with variation in female reproductive success [9, 14]. Here we show that dominance rank and the quality of close social bonds have independent effects on the longevity of female chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus). High-ranking females live longer than lower-ranking females. In addition, females who form stronger and more stable social bonds with other females live significantly longer than females who form weaker and less stable relationships. These data extend our understanding of the adaptive value of social bonds in baboons and complement a growing body of evidence that indicates that social bonds have adaptive value in a range of taxa, from mice to humans [9, 14-19].
Current biology: CB 08/2010; 20(15):1359-61. · 10.99 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Sociality has evolved in many animal taxa, but primates are unusual because they establish highly differentiated bonds with other group members. Such bonds are particularly pronounced among females in species like baboons, with female philopatry and male dispersal. These relationships seem to confer a number of short-term benefits on females, and sociality enhances infant survival in some populations. However, the long-term consequences of social bonds among adult females have not been well established. Here we provide the first direct evidence that social relationships among female baboons convey fitness benefits. In a group of free-ranging baboons, Papio cynocephalus ursinus, the offspring of females who formed strong social bonds with other females lived significantly longer than the offspring of females who formed weaker social bonds. These survival benefits were independent of maternal dominance rank and number of kin and extended into offspring adulthood. In particular, females who formed stronger bonds with their mothers and adult daughters experienced higher offspring survival rates than females who formed weaker bonds. For females lacking mothers or adult daughters, offspring survival was closely linked to bonds between maternal sisters. These results parallel those from human studies, which show that greater social integration is generally associated with reduced mortality and better physical and mental health, particularly for women.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 07/2009; 276(1670):3099-104. · 5.41 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Intercommunity aggression in chimpanzees and primitive warfare in humans possess striking similarities, such as the common occurrence of large male coalitions, systematic control of territory boundaries, and lethal attacks on isolated individuals from neighboring groups. However, an important apparent contrast is the absence of recurrent peaceful interactions between neighboring groups of chimpanzees. We observed a remarkable range of behavior in intergroup encounters among three habituated communities of chimpanzees in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. Lethal attacks are documented in these study groups for the first time, as well as year-long exchanges of parous adult females and peaceful intergroup visits of mothers with infants. Demographic factors, including group size and number of adult males, are shown to affect the nature of intergroup interactions in ways not considered previously. A reconsideration of the difference in intergroup interactions between eastern and western chimpanzees is proposed including a more important consideration of the female's perspective. The inclusion of the new complexities in intergroup interactions in chimpanzees allows new parallels to be drawn with the evolution of primitive warfare in humans.
American Journal of Primatology 07/2008; 70(6):519-32. · 2.22 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We examine the relationship between glucocorticoid (GC) levels and grooming behavior in wild female baboons during a period of instability in the alpha male rank position. All females' GC levels rose significantly at the onset of the unstable period, though levels in females who were at lower risk of infanticide began to decrease sooner in the following weeks. Three factors suggest that females relied on a focused grooming network as a coping mechanism to alleviate stress. First, all females' grooming networks became less diverse in the weeks following the initial upheaval. Second, females whose grooming had already focused on a few predictable partners showed a less dramatic rise in GC levels than females whose grooming network had been more diverse. Third, females who contracted their grooming network the most experienced a greater decrease in GC levels in the following week. We conclude that close bonds with a few preferred partners allow female baboons to alleviate the stress associated with social instability.
Hormones and Behavior 07/2008; 54(1):170-7. · 3.87 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We examined the social correlates of fecal glucocorticoid (GC) levels in wild female baboons during a period of social and demographic stability. Females' GC levels were not affected by individual attributes such as number of kin or dominance rank, nor could we detect any significant seasonal effects. Instead, GC levels were influenced by behavioral attributes that varied between individuals and within individuals across time. Pregnant and cycling females who received high rates of aggression had higher GC levels than others. In contrast, pregnant and cycling females who received grunts - vocal signals of benign intent - at high frequencies from dominant females had lower GC levels than females who received grunts at lower frequencies. Lactating females showed the opposite trend, apparently as a consequence of the high rate of grunting and intense, unsolicited attention that their infants received from others. All females experienced lower GC levels in months when they concentrated their grooming among a small number of partners than when their grooming was more evenly distributed among many partners. Although GC levels in female baboons are most strongly influenced by events that directly affect their reproductive success, subtle social factors associated with the loss of predictability and control also seem to exert an effect. Loss of control may be mitigated if a female is able to predict others' intentions - for example, if others grunt to her to signal their intentions - and if she is able to express some preference over the timing and identities of her grooming partners.
Hormones and Behavior 02/2008; 53(1):254-65. · 3.87 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: It has been hypothesized that group-living mammals engage in reconciliation (post-conflict affiliation between former opponents) to reduce the disruptive costs of aggression and restore opponents' tolerance to baseline levels. Recipients of aggression are sometimes reluctant to tolerate the proximity of a recent opponent, however, in apparent fear that aggression will be renewed. In such cases, reconciliatory behaviour by the aggressor's close kin may substitute for direct reconciliation. We describe a playback experiment with free-ranging baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) that examines whether friendly behaviour by the aggressor's kin can substitute for direct reconciliation by the aggressor herself. In the test condition, female subjects who had recently been threatened heard the friendly grunt of one of their aggressor's relatives, mimicking kin-mediated vocal reconciliation. In the control condition, subjects heard the grunt of a dominant female from a different matriline. Subjects responded significantly more strongly in test than in control trials. Moreover, in the next hour they were significantly more likely to tolerate the proximity of both their aggressor and the relative whose grunt they had heard. In contrast, subjects' behaviour towards both control females and other members of their aggressor's matriline was unaffected. We conclude that kin-mediated vocal reconciliation can substitute for direct reconciliation in baboons.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 05/2007; 274(1613):1109-15. · 5.41 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Theory predicts that females in species with matrilineal dominance hierarchies should use nepotistic support systems to maintain
their family’s rank. Female Old World monkeys, however, form alliances against other females at surprisingly low rates. Nonetheless,
in many species, females utter threat vocalizations when observing others’ disputes, suggesting that these vocalizations may
function as ‘vocal alliances’. We describe a playback experiment testing the efficacy of vocal alliances in free-ranging female
baboons. Subjects were played the same female’s threat-grunts under three separate conditions: after being threatened by the
signaller’s close relative to mimic kin support, after being threatened by a female maternally unrelated to the signaller
to mimic non-kin support, and after a friendly interaction with the signaller’s close relative as a control. Subjects responded
more strongly to the playback and avoided the signaller and her matrilineal relatives for a longer period of time in kin support
trials than in either non-kin support or no aggression trials. In contrast, there was no difference in subjects’ behaviour
between non-kin support and no aggression trials. These results corroborate observational data showing that vocal support
occurs at a higher rate than physical support in female baboons, and that kin are more likely to provide vocal support than
non-kin. We conclude that vocal support plays a similar role as physical support in the alliances of female baboons.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 03/2007; 61(6):899-909. · 3.18 Impact Factor
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American Journal of Primatology, v.70, 519-532 (2008).
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Behaviour, v.142, 397-421 (2005).
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Ethology, v.110, 221-243 (2004).
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ABSTRACT: Context-specific calls, which have a distinct acoustic structure and are selectively produced in specific contexts, are a prerequisite for calls that function referentially. Functionally referential calls, which convey information to conspecifics about objects and events in the external world, have been found in a number of species, notably primates. Evidence of context-specific calls in apes, however, is largely absent. We analysed whether the barks of wild male chimpanzees in the Taı Forest, Côte d'Ivoire, are context specific. We examined the acoustic structure of barks, and other calls produced in association with barks, in six contexts, using discriminant function analysis. Chimpanzees produced context-specific signals in two ways. First, they produced two acoustically graded bark subtypes, in hunt and snake contexts, respectively. Second, they produced context-specific signal combinations of barks with acoustically different call types or drums. These signal combinations increased specificity levels in three of the six contexts to over 90%, a level similar to the classic vervet monkey, Cercophithecus aethiops, predator alarm calls. Furthermore, specific chimpanzee signals were produced in contexts other than alarm, such as travel and hunting, where the potential benefits of evolving specific calls are less obvious. These signals may convey specific context information to listeners, and thus function referentially; however, to confirm this, analyses of listeners' responses are required. The results show that two strategies for producing context-specific signals seem to have evolved in a species other than humans: chimpanzees produce context-specific bark subtypes and context-specific signal combinations. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Animal Behaviour.
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ABSTRACT: In chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus), adult males and lactating females form preferential associations, or ‘friendships’, that provide protection against potentially infanticidal attacks. Little is known about the mechanisms by which males and females form friendships, or the function of friendships for males. We examined the relationship between mating activity, paternity and friendships over a 3-year period. A male's proportion of consort activity with a female within and outside of her period of most likely conception, along with his dominance rank, each contributed importantly in models of paternity outcomes and formation of friendships. In 87% of births, the male that monopolized the greatest proportion of a female's consort days during her last conceptive cycle was the father of her offspring. In 82% of the births where the female's primary consort partner was present at parturition, he became her friend. When the primary consort partner was absent at parturition, females formed friendships with males that had monopolized the second or third greatest proportion of their previous consort days. Similarly, 78% of males became friends with females with whom they had obtained their greatest consort success. Such a flexible strategy based on probabilistic assessment of paternity may be adaptive for females, given unpredictable fluctuations in male presence within the group. In a mating system with high dominance-based reproductive skew, males may benefit by investing preferentially in those infants that they are most likely to have fathered.
Animal Behaviour. 79(5):1007-1015.
