title: Vocal correlates of individual sooty mangabey travel speed and direction.
abstract: Many group-living animals coordinate movements with acoustic signals, but so far most studies have focused on how group movements are initiated. In this study, we investigated movement patterns of wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys), a mostly terrestrial, forest-dwelling primate. We provide quantitative results showing that vocalization rates of mangabey subgroups, but not of focal individuals, correlated with focal individuals' current movement patterns. More interestingly, vocal behaviour predicted whether individuals changed future speed, and possibly future travel direction. The role of vocalizations as a potential mechanism for the regulation of group movement was further highlighted by interaction effects that include subgroup size and the quality of poly-specific associations. Collectively, our results suggest that primate vocal behaviour can function beyond travel initiation in coordination and regulation of group movements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, Université de Neuchâtel , Neuchâtel , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0236-1219
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland; School of Psychology & Neurosciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zuberbühler
keywords: Cercocebus atys; Group cohesion; Group movement; Poly-specific association; Sooty mangabey; Vocal communication