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Anderson KA, Teichroeb JA, Ramsay MS, Bădescu I, López-Torres S, Gibb JK. Same-sex sexual behaviour among mammals is widely observed, yet seldomly reported: Evidence from an online expert survey. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304885. [PMID: 38900815 PMCID: PMC11189198 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Same-sex sexual behaviour (SSSB) occurs in most animal clades, but published reports are largely concentrated in a few taxa. Thus, there remains a paucity of published reports for most mammalian species. We conducted a cross-sectional expert survey to better understand the underlying reasons for the lack of publications on this topic. Most respondents researched Primates (83.6%, N = 61), while the rest studied Carnivora (6.9%, N = 5), Rodentia (4.1%, N = 3), Artiodactyla (2.7%, N = 2), and Proboscidea (2.7%, N = 2). Most respondents (76.7%, N = 56) had observed SSSB in their study species, but only 48.2% (N = 27) collected data on SSSB, and few (18.5%, N = 5) had published papers on SSSB. Of the unique species identified as engaging in SSSB in the survey, 38.6% (N = 17) have no existing reports of SSSB to the knowledge of the authors. In both the survey questions and freeform responses, most respondents indicated that their lack of data collection or publication on SSSB was because the behaviours were rare, or because it was not a research priority of their lab. No respondents reported discomfort or sociopolitical concerns at their university or field site as a reason for why they did not collect data or publish on SSSB. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to assess whether taxa studied, education level, or identification within the LGBTQ+ community predicted observing, collecting data on, or publishing on SSSB, but none of these variables were significant predictors. These results provide preliminary evidence that SSSB occurs more frequently than what is available in the published record and suggest that this may be due to a publishing bias against anecdotal evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karyn A. Anderson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie A. Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Malcolm S. Ramsay
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Iulia Bădescu
- Département D’anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sergi López-Torres
- University of Warsaw, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Warsaw, Poland
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - James K. Gibb
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
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2
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Pashchevskaya S, Fruth B, Hohmann G. Water scooping: tool use by a wild bonobo (Pan paniscus) at LuiKotale, a case report. Primates 2024; 65:145-150. [PMID: 38488904 PMCID: PMC11018684 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-024-01121-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Tool use diversity is often considered to differentiate our two closest living relatives: the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and the bonobo (P. paniscus). Chimpanzees appear to have the largest repertoire of tools amongst nonhuman primates, and in this species, many forms of tool use enhance food and water acquisition. In captivity, bonobos seem as adept as chimpanzees in tool use complexity, including in the foraging context. However, in the wild, bonobos have only been observed engaging in habitual tool use in the contexts of comfort, play, self-directed behaviour and communication, whilst no tool-assisted food acquisition has been reported. Whereas captive bonobos use tools for drinking, so far, the only report from the wild populations comes down to four observations of moss sponges used at Lomako. Here, we present the first report of tool use in the form of water scooping by a wild bonobo at LuiKotale. An adult female was observed and videotaped whilst using an emptied Cola chlamydantha pod to scoop and drink water from a stream. We discuss the conditions for such observations and the importance of looking out for rare behaviours and attempt to put the observation into the context of the opportunity versus necessity hypotheses. By adding novel information on tool use, our report contributes to the ongoing efforts to differentiate population-specific traits in the behavioural ecology of the bonobo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Pashchevskaya
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Constance, DE, Germany.
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Barbara Fruth
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Constance, DE, Germany
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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3
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Teichroeb JA, Fox SA, Samartino S, Wikberg EC, Sicotte P. Non-Reproductive Sexual Behavior in Wild White-Thighed Colobus Monkeys (Colobus vellerosus). ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:2295-2301. [PMID: 36849676 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02561-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Rare behaviors are often missing from published papers, hampering phylogenetic analyses. Here, we report, for the first time, masturbation and same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) in both male and female black-and-white colobus monkeys. We recorded these behaviors during 32 months of observation (1573 h of focal animal sampling) on Colobus vellerosus collected at the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana. Males were observed masturbating and involved in SSB more than females. Subadult males were the age-sex class that engaged in both of these behaviors most often and a third of all SSB observed in young males occurred when they were forming an all-male band (AMB), which are temporally transient social groups in this species. Our data support that masturbation in males may be a sexual outlet for individuals that do not have a current sexual partner, while in females it may function in mate attraction by advertising receptivity. SSB may occur as an evolutionary byproduct but given the temporal clustering of observed events in males prior to AMB formation, our data best support the hypothesis that these behaviors facilitate male-male bonding (i.e., act as social glue). Within AMB's, males engage in coalitionary behavior to take over social groups containing females and strong bonds are important for success and later access to females, which could have selected for SSB in C. vellerosus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Stephanie A Fox
- Department of Anthropology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Shelby Samartino
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Eva C Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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4
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Praill LC, Eppley TM, Shanee S, Cunneyworth PMK, Abra FD, Allgas N, Al-Razi H, Campera M, Cheyne SM, Collinson W, Donati G, Linden B, Manson S, Maria M, Morcatty TQ, Nekaris KAI, Oklander LI, Nijman V, Svensson MS. Road Infrastructure and Primate Conservation: Introducing the Global Primate Roadkill Database. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13101692. [PMID: 37238122 DOI: 10.3390/ani13101692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
As road infrastructure networks rapidly expand globally, especially in the tropics, previously continuous habitats are being fragmented, resulting in more frequent wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC). Primates are widespread throughout many sub-/tropical countries, and as their habitats are fragmented, they are increasingly at risk of WVC. We created the Global Primate Roadkill Database (GPRD), the largest available standardized database of primate roadkill incidents. We obtained data from published papers, un-published and citizen science databases, anecdotal reports, news reports, and social media posts. Here, we describe the collection methods for the GPRD and present the most up-to-date version of the database in full. For each primate roadkill incident, we recorded the species killed, the exact location, and the year and month the roadkill was observed. At the time of publication, the GPRD includes 2862 individual primate roadkill records from 41 countries. As primates range in more than twice as many countries, the absence of data from these countries is not necessarily indicative of a lack of primate vehicular collisions. Given the value of these data for addressing both local and global research questions, we encourage conservationists and citizen scientists to contribute to the GPRD so that, together, we can better understand the impact road infrastructure has on primates and evaluate measures which may help mitigate risk-prone areas or species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Praill
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Pandrillus Cameroon, Limbe Wildlife Centre, Limbe P.O. Box 878, Cameroon
| | - Timothy M Eppley
- Wildlife Madagascar, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
- Department of Anthropology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Conservation Science and Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Sam Shanee
- Asociación Neotropical Primate Conservation Perú, Moyobamba 22001, Peru
- Neotropical Primate Conservation, Cornwall PL11 3JQ, UK
| | | | - Fernanda D Abra
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute-Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Washington, DC 20560, USA
- ViaFAUNA Estudos Ambientais, São Paulo 04125-120, SP, Brazil
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia 12945-010, SP, Brazil
| | - Néstor Allgas
- Asociación Neotropical Primate Conservation Perú, Moyobamba 22001, Peru
| | - Hassan Al-Razi
- Bangladesh Slow Loris Research and Conservation Project, 531/2, Shahidbagh, Dhaka 1217, Bangladesh
| | - Marco Campera
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Susan M Cheyne
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Wendy Collinson
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
- The Endangered Wildlife Trust, Wierda Park 0149, South Africa
| | - Giuseppe Donati
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Birthe Linden
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
- Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Sophie Manson
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Little Fireface Project, Chipaganti, Cisurupan, Garut 44163, Indonesia
| | - Marjan Maria
- Bangladesh Slow Loris Research and Conservation Project, 531/2, Shahidbagh, Dhaka 1217, Bangladesh
| | - Thais Q Morcatty
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - K A I Nekaris
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Little Fireface Project, Chipaganti, Cisurupan, Garut 44163, Indonesia
| | - Luciana I Oklander
- Grupo de Investigación en Genética Aplicada, UNAM-CONICET, Posadas N3304, Argentina
- Neotropical Primate Conservation Argentina, Puerto Iguazú N3370, Argentina
| | - Vincent Nijman
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Magdalena S Svensson
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
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Watson SK, Lambeth SP, Schapiro SJ. Innovative multi-material tool use in the pant-hoot display of a chimpanzee. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20605. [PMID: 36446876 PMCID: PMC9708694 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24770-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
'Pant-hoot displays' are a species-typical, multi-modal communicative behaviour in chimpanzees in which pant-hoot vocalisations are combined with varied behavioural displays. In both captivity and the wild, individuals commonly incorporate striking or throwing elements of their environment into these displays. In this case study, we present five videos of an unenculturated, captive, adult male chimpanzee combining a large rubber feeding tub with excelsior (wood wool) in a multi-step process, which was then integrated into the subject's pant-hoot displays as a percussive tool or 'instrument'. During the construction process, the subject demonstrated an understanding of the relevant properties of these materials, 'repairing' the tub to be a more functional drum when necessary. We supplement these videos with a survey of care staff from the study site for additional detail and context. Although care must be taken in generalising data from a single individual, the behaviour reported here hints at three intriguing features of chimpanzee communicative cognition: (1) it suggests a degree of voluntary control over vocal production, (2) it is a so-far unique example of compound tool innovation and use in communicative behaviour and (3) it may represent an example of forward planning in communicative behaviour. Each of these would represent hitherto undocumented dimensions of flexibility in chimpanzee communication, mapping fertile ground for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart K. Watson
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Affolternstrasse 56, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland ,grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, Affolternstrasse 56, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland ,grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Susan P. Lambeth
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602 USA
| | - Steven J. Schapiro
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602 USA ,grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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6
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The Ontogeny of Vocal Sequences: Insights from a Newborn Wild Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00321-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractObservations of early vocal behaviours in non-human primates (hereafter primates) are important for direct comparisons between human and primate vocal development. However, direct observations of births and perinatal behaviour in wild primates are rare, and the initial stages of behavioural ontogeny usually remain undocumented. Here, we report direct observations of the birth of a wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Budongo Forest, Uganda, including the behaviour of the mother and other group members. We monitored the newborn’s vocal behaviour for approximately 2 hours and recorded 70 calls. We categorised the vocalisations both qualitatively, using conventional call descriptions, and quantitatively, using cluster and discriminant acoustic analyses. We found evidence for acoustically distinct vocal units, produced both in isolation and in combination, including sequences akin to adult pant hoots, a vocal utterance regarded as the most complex vocal signal produced by this species. We concluded that chimpanzees possess the capacity to produce vocal sequences composed of different call types from birth, albeit in rudimentary forms. Our observations are in line with the idea that primate vocal repertoires are largely present from birth, with fine acoustic structures undergoing ontogenetic processes. Our study provides rare and valuable empirical data on perinatal behaviours in wild primates.
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7
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Dead-infant carrying by chimpanzee mothers in the Budongo Forest. Primates 2022; 63:497-508. [PMID: 35819534 PMCID: PMC9274961 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-00999-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that non-human primates can respond to deceased conspecifics in ways that suggest they experience psychological states not unlike humans, some of which could indicate they exhibit a notion of death. Here, we report long-term demographic data from two East African chimpanzee groups. During a combined 40-year observation period, we recorded 191 births of which 68 died in infancy, mostly within the first year. We documented the post-mortem behaviour of the mothers and describe nine occasions where Budongo chimpanzee mothers carried infants for 1-3 days after their death, usually until the body started to decompose. We also observed three additional cases of extended carrying lasting for more than 2 weeks, one of which was followed by the unusual extended carrying of an object and another which lasted 3 months. In each case, the corpses mummified. In addition, we report four instances of recurring dead-infant carrying by mothers, three of whom carried the corpse for longer during the second instance. We discuss these observations in view of functional hypotheses of dead-infant carrying in primates and the potential proximate mechanisms involved in this behaviour.
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8
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Freire Filho R, Inforzato I, Tabacow FP, Martins W, Possamai CB, Ferraz D, Hack ROE, Rocha S, Slomp DV, Nery MS, Almeida L, Fernandes N, Alves PPR, Mendes SL, Strier KB. Thanatology in the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus). Primates 2022; 63:335-342. [PMID: 35648246 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-00991-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Primate thanatology, or the study of primate responses to dying and death, has become increasingly relevant in recent years. However, the number of reports remains small and the quality of published records is highly variable. Here, we extend the literature on comparative thanatology with observations on a population of the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus). We compiled all seven cases of muriqui responses to dead, dying, or abandoned infants observed by trained researchers of the Muriqui Project of Caratinga between 1998 and 2020. Four different adult females were observed carrying their dead offspring (n = 4) and one of these females was also observed carrying her dead grand-offspring (n = 1). Five of the seven cases involved dead newborns, one involved a newborn abandoned by its mother on the forest floor, and one involved a 1.6-year-old infant that was visibly ill and died after its mother left it on the ground. Dead newborns were carried for 1-3 days, and all cases occurred during the dry season months. No other age-sex classes were observed to interact with the dead or dying immatures. Our observations are consistent with hypotheses concerning the predominance of dead-infant carrying in other primates, and with the effects of climate on rates of corpse disintegration. They also show the value of long-term studies for obtaining and understanding anecdotal records of rare behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robério Freire Filho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Avenida Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235 Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE, 50670-420, Brasil.
| | - Igor Inforzato
- Centro de Pesquisa e Conservação, Projeto BioBrasil, Sociedade Zoológica de Antuérpia, Antuérpia, Belgium.,Bicho do Mato Instituto de Pesquisa, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Fernanda P Tabacow
- Muriqui Instituto de Biodiversidade: MIB, Rua Euclydes Etienne Arreguy Filho, Centro Caratinga, MG, 35300-372, Brazil
| | - Waldney Martins
- Departamento de Biologia Geral e Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Uso dos Recursos Naturais, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, MG, 39401-089, Brazil
| | - Carla B Possamai
- Muriqui Instituto de Biodiversidade: MIB, Rua Euclydes Etienne Arreguy Filho, Centro Caratinga, MG, 35300-372, Brazil
| | - Daniel Ferraz
- Rede Eco-Diversa para Conservação da Biodiversidade, Rua Glicério Dias Soares 76, Niterói, Tombos, MG, 36844-000, Brazil
| | - Robson O E Hack
- Instituto de Tecnologia para o Desenvolvimento, LACTEC, Avenida Comendador Franco 1341, Jardim Botânico, Curitiba, 80215-090, Brazil
| | - Samantha Rocha
- Arvo Vida Ambiental, Rua Professor Antonio Tupy Pinheiro, Boa Vista, Curitiba, PR, 82650-100, Brazil
| | - Daniel V Slomp
- Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, SEMA-RS, Avenida Borges de Medeiros, 1.501, 7º andar, Centro Histórico Porto Alegre, RS, 90119-900, Brazil
| | - Marcello S Nery
- Muriqui Instituto de Biodiversidade: MIB, Rua Euclydes Etienne Arreguy Filho, Centro Caratinga, MG, 35300-372, Brazil
| | - Letícia Almeida
- Muriqui Instituto de Biodiversidade: MIB, Rua Euclydes Etienne Arreguy Filho, Centro Caratinga, MG, 35300-372, Brazil
| | - Naíla Fernandes
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro Paulo Rezende Alves
- Taxa Mundi Institute, Rua Vereda dos Buritis 140, Veredas da Lagoa, Lagoa Santa, MG, 33239-659, Brazil
| | - Sérgio L Mendes
- Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica (INMA), Avenida José Ruschi 4, Santa Teresa, ES, 29650-000, Brazil.,Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal Do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, 29075-010, Brazil
| | - Karen B Strier
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
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Pokharel SS, Sharma N, Sukumar R. Viewing the rare through public lenses: insights into dead calf carrying and other thanatological responses in Asian elephants using YouTube videos. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211740. [PMID: 35620003 PMCID: PMC9114935 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Documenting the behavioural repertoire of an animal species is important for understanding that species' natural history. Many behaviours such as mating, parturition and death may be observed only rarely in the wild due to the low frequency of occurrence, short duration and the species' elusiveness. Opportunistic documentation of rare behaviours is therefore valuable for deciphering the behavioural complexity in a species. In this context, digital platforms may serve as useful data sources for studying rare behaviours in animals. Using videos uploaded on YouTube, we document and construct a tentative repertoire of thanatological responses (death-related behaviours) in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). The most frequently observed thanatological responses included postural changes, guarding/keeping vigil, touching, investigating the carcass, epimeletic behaviours and vocalizations. We also describe some infrequently observed behaviours, including carrying dead calves by adult females, re-assurance-like behaviours and attempts to support dying or dead conspecifics, some of which were only known anecdotally in Asian elephants. Our observations indicate the significance of open-source video data on digital platforms for gaining insights into rarely observed behaviours and support the accumulating evidence for higher cognitive abilities of Asian elephants in the context of comparative thanatology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nachiketha Sharma
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Raman Sukumar
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
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10
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Batist CH, Mayhew JA. Preliminary comparisons of learning across four lemur genera at the Duke Lemur Center. Folia Primatol (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/14219980-20210501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Lemurs have been relatively understudied in cognitive research despite representing an adaptive radiation and occupying a key phylogenetic position as the most basal extant primate lineage. Many of the existing studies have focused on only one lemur species. We aimed to take a comparative approach by examining learning abilities in 66 lemurs from four genera at the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina. We used a novel two-action puzzle box to assess inter-species variation in learning speed, task proficiency, and social tolerance during trials. We found differences between genera in the percentage of individuals who had successes, individuals’ latency to touch the apparatus and the number of times an individual observed a group member’s success. Eulemur and Varecia had shorter latencies and were observed more by conspecifics compared to Propithecus and Lemur. Shorter latencies may indicate reduced fear or increased motivation, while higher observation rates suggest more leniency or tolerance around the puzzle boxes. These results may be due to species differences in dominance and rank hierarchies; Propithecus and Lemur are more despotic than Eulemur, where some species exhibit sex co-dominance, and Varecia, which live in groups with high fission-fusion dynamics. We also show that even within these overall relationships, the different genera varied substantially in the temporal trajectory of these learning variables through the study trials. Overall, this comparative study provides preliminary insights into the taxon-specific learning trajectories of lemurs and contributes to the growing body of literature examining lemur cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly H. Batist
- Department of Anthropology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jessica A. Mayhew
- Department of Anthropology and Museum Studies, Central Washington University, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
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11
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Farrar BG, Ostojić L, Clayton NS. The hidden side of animal cognition research: Scientists' attitudes toward bias, replicability and scientific practice. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256607. [PMID: 34464406 PMCID: PMC8407565 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal cognition research aims to understand animal minds by using a diverse range of methods across an equally diverse range of species. Throughout its history, the field has sought to mitigate various biases that occur when studying animal minds, from experimenter effects to anthropomorphism. Recently, there has also been a focus on how common scientific practices might affect the reliability and validity of published research. Usually, these issues are discussed in the literature by a small group of scholars with a specific interest in the topics. This study aimed to survey a wider range of animal cognition researchers to ask about their attitudes towards classic and contemporary issues facing the field. Two-hundred and ten active animal cognition researchers completed our survey, and provided answers on questions relating to bias, replicability, statistics, publication, and belief in animal cognition. Collectively, researchers were wary of bias in the research field, but less so in their own work. Over 70% of researchers endorsed Morgan’s canon as a useful principle but many caveated this in their free-text responses. Researchers self-reported that most of their studies had been published, however they often reported that studies went unpublished because they had negative or inconclusive results, or results that questioned “preferred” theories. Researchers rarely reported having performed questionable research practices themselves—however they thought that other researchers sometimes (52.7% of responses) or often (27.9% of responses) perform them. Researchers near unanimously agreed that replication studies are important but too infrequently performed in animal cognition research, 73.0% of respondents suggested areas of animal cognition research could experience a ‘replication crisis’ if replication studies were performed. Consistently, participants’ free-text responses provided a nuanced picture of the challenges animal cognition research faces, which are available as part of an open dataset. However, many researchers appeared concerned with how to interpret negative results, publication bias, theoretical bias and reliability in areas of animal cognition research. Collectively, these data provide a candid overview of barriers to progress in animal cognition and can inform debates on how individual researchers, as well as organizations and journals, can facilitate robust scientific research in animal cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin G. Farrar
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Ljerka Ostojić
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Rijeka, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Nicola S. Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Amorim CEG, Dasari M, Durgavich L, Hinde K, Kissel M, Lewton KL, Loewen T. Integrative approaches to dispersing science: A case study of March Mammal Madness. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 34 Suppl 1:e23659. [PMID: 34358377 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Public engagement is increasingly viewed as an important pillar of scientific scholarship. For early career and established scholars, navigating the mosaic landscape of public education and science communication, noted for rapid "ecological" succession, can be daunting. Moreover, academics are characterized by diverse skills, motivations, values, positionalities, and temperaments that may differentially incline individuals to particular public translation activities. METHODS Here we briefly contextualize engagement activities within a scholarly portfolio, describe the use of one public education program-March Mammal Madness (MMM)- to highlight approaches to science communication, and explore essential elements and practical considerations for creating and sustaining outreach pursuits in tandem with other scholarly activities. RESULTS MMM, an annual simulated tournament of living and fossil animal taxa, has reached hundreds of thousands of learners since 2013. This program has provided a platform to communicate research findings from biology and anthropology and showcase numerous scholars in these fields. MMM has leveraged tournament devices to intentionally address topics of climate change, capitalist environmental degradation, academic sexism, and racist settler-colonialism. The tournament, however, has also perpetuated implicit biases that need disrupting. CONCLUSIONS By embracing reflexive, self-interrogative, and growth attitudes, the tournament organizers iteratively refine and improve this public science education program to better align our activities with our values and goals. Our experiences with MMM suggest that dispersing science is most sustainable when we combine ancestral adaptations for cooperation, community, and storytelling with good-natured competition in the context of shared experiences and shared values.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mauna Dasari
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Lara Durgavich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Katie Hinde
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Marc Kissel
- Department of Anthropology, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kristi L Lewton
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Tisa Loewen
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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13
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Observation and publication of infrequently observed behavior. Primates 2021; 62:549-554. [PMID: 34117953 PMCID: PMC8196266 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00923-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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14
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Randimbiharinirina RD, Richter T, Raharivololona BM, Ratsimbazafy JH, Schüßler D. To tell a different story: Unexpected diversity in local attitudes towards Endangered Aye‐ayes
Daubentonia madagascariensis
offers new opportunities for conservation. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Roger Doménico Randimbiharinirina
- Mention Anthropobiologie et Développement Durable de la Faculté des Sciences University of Antananarivo Antananarivo Madagascar
- Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP) Antananarivo Madagascar
| | - Torsten Richter
- Research Group Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation University of Hildesheim Hildesheim Germany
| | - Brigitte M. Raharivololona
- Mention Anthropobiologie et Développement Durable de la Faculté des Sciences University of Antananarivo Antananarivo Madagascar
| | - Jonah H. Ratsimbazafy
- Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP) Antananarivo Madagascar
| | - Dominik Schüßler
- Research Group Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation University of Hildesheim Hildesheim Germany
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15
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Hinde K, Amorim CEG, Brokaw AF, Burt N, Casillas MC, Chen A, Chestnut T, Connors PK, Dasari M, Ditelberg CF, Dietrick J, Drew J, Durgavich L, Easterling B, Henning C, Hilborn A, Karlsson EK, Kissel M, Kobylecky J, Krell J, Lee DN, Lesciotto KM, Lewton KL, Light JE, Martin J, Murphy A, Nickley W, Núñez-de la Mora A, Pellicer O, Pellicer V, Perry AM, Schuttler SG, Stone AC, Tanis B, Weber J, Wilson M, Willcocks E, Anderson CN. March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach. eLife 2021; 10:e65066. [PMID: 33616530 PMCID: PMC7899649 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
March Mammal Madness is a science outreach project that, over the course of several weeks in March, reaches hundreds of thousands of people in the United States every year. We combine four approaches to science outreach - gamification, social media platforms, community event(s), and creative products - to run a simulated tournament in which 64 animals compete to become the tournament champion. While the encounters between the animals are hypothetical, the outcomes rely on empirical evidence from the scientific literature. Players select their favored combatants beforehand, and during the tournament scientists translate the academic literature into gripping "play-by-play" narration on social media. To date ~1100 scholarly works, covering almost 400 taxa, have been transformed into science stories. March Mammal Madness is most typically used by high-school educators teaching life sciences, and we estimate that our materials reached ~1% of high-school students in the United States in 2019. Here we document the intentional design, public engagement, and magnitude of reach of the project. We further explain how human psychological and cognitive adaptations for shared experiences, social learning, narrative, and imagery contribute to the widespread use of March Mammal Madness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Hinde
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, the Center for Evolution and Medicine, and the School of Sustainability, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Carlos Eduardo G Amorim
- Department of Biology, California State University NorthridgeNorthridgeUnited States
- Department of Computational Biology, University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Alyson F Brokaw
- Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Nicole Burt
- Department of Human Health and Evolutionary Medicine, Cleveland Museum of Natural HistoryClevelandUnited States
| | | | - Albert Chen
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of BathBathUnited Kingdom
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Tara Chestnut
- National Park ServiceMount Rainier National ParkUnited States
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State UniversityCorvallisUnited States
| | - Patrice K Connors
- Department of Biological Sciences, Colorado Mesa UniversityGrand JunctionUnited States
| | - Mauna Dasari
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre DameNotre DameUnited States
| | | | | | - Josh Drew
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural HistorySyracuseUnited States
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuseUnited States
| | - Lara Durgavich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Anthropology, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts UniversityMedfordUnited States
| | | | | | - Anne Hilborn
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California RiversideRiversideUnited States
| | - Elinor K Karlsson
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - Marc Kissel
- Department of Anthropology, Appalachian State UniversityBooneUnited States
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre DameNotre DameUnited States
| | | | - Jason Krell
- Center for Science and Imagination, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Danielle N Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsvilleUnited States
| | - Kate M Lesciotto
- Department of Clinical Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsvilleUnited States
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State UniversityState CollegeUnited States
| | - Kristi L Lewton
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Mammalogy, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyLos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of MedicineBostonUnited States
| | - Jessica E Light
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, and the Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolution, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Jessica Martin
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Asia Murphy
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkUnited States
| | - William Nickley
- Department of Design, The Ohio State UniversityColumbusUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Anali Maughan Perry
- Engagement & Learning Services, ASU Library, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | | | - Anne C Stone
- Human Evolution and Social Change, the Center for Evolution, and Medicine, and the Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Brian Tanis
- Department of Biology, Oregon State University-CascadesBendUnited States
| | - Jesse Weber
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Melissa Wilson
- School of Life Sciences and the Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Emma Willcocks
- Department of Biology, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
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16
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Sándor K, Miklósi Á. How to Report Anecdotal Observations? A New Approach Based on a Lesson From "Puffin Tool Use". Front Psychol 2020; 11:555487. [PMID: 33192808 PMCID: PMC7606989 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.555487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina Sándor
- Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary.,MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Ramsay MS, Morrison B, Stead SM. Infanticide and partial cannibalism in free-ranging Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli). Primates 2020; 61:575-581. [PMID: 32424537 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00828-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Infanticide has been observed across many primate taxa, but the extent of its occurrence is not fully understood due to difficulty in observation and uneven reporting. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain why infanticide occurs in primates and whether it benefits some individuals within a social group. Here we report on a case of infanticide, followed by partial consumption of the infant, in a population of Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) at Mariarano, Northwest Madagascar. We witnessed an adult male sifaka kill and consume part of an infant, a member of his own social group, as well as the mother's reaction to the infanticide. Following the infanticide, the mother of the deceased infant left the social group after repeated agonistic encounters with the other group members. We evaluate how this event relates to the predictions of four common hypotheses. Further research on Coquerel's sifaka is needed to determine the frequency of infanticide in this species, and in lemurs more generally, because infanticide is currently poorly understood in this taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm S Ramsay
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Benjamin Morrison
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Samantha M Stead
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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