Social functions of relaxed open-mouth display in golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

Relaxed open-mouth display serves important social functions in relation to submission, reconciliation, affiliation and reassurance among non-human primate societies; however, quantitative evidence on this behavior remains insufficient among multi-level social groups. From July to November 2016, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Dōngwùxué yánjiū 2019-03, Vol.40 (2), p.113-120
Main Authors: Zhang, You-Ji, Chen, Yi-Xin, Chen, Hao-Chun, Chen, Yuan, Yao, Hui, Yang, Wan-Ji, Ruan, Xiang-Dong, Xiang, Zuo-Fu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Displays
Human behavior
Interactions
Monkeys
Monkeys & apes
Mouth
National parks
Nonverbal communication
Probability theory
Rhinopithecus roxellana
Social behavior
Social factors
Social interaction
Social interactions
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Summary:Relaxed open-mouth display serves important social functions in relation to submission, reconciliation, affiliation and reassurance among non-human primate societies; however, quantitative evidence on this behavior remains insufficient among multi-level social groups. From July to November 2016, we examined four potential functions of the relaxed open-mouth display during pairwise, intra-unit social interactions among 18 free-ranging adult and sub-adult golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) who belonged to three one-male, multi-female units (OMU) at Dalongtan, Shennongjia National Park, China. Results showed that: compared with no relaxed open-mouth display, (1) the occurrence of displacement by a dominant individual approaching a subordinate was lower and the distance of the subordinate to the approaching dominant was shorter when the subordinate showed open-mouth display; (2) relaxed open-mouth display reduced the probability of continued attack for victims of aggression and allowed victims to achieve closer proximity to the aggressor during post-conflict periods; (3) relaxed open-mouth display by dominant individuals allowed them to achieve closer proximity to subordinates; and (4) the exchange of relaxed open-mouth display had a greater impact on the outcome of interactions than one individual alone giving this signal. These findings suggest that relaxed open-mouth display serves important functions regarding submission, reconciliation, affiliation and reassurance in coordinating social interactions within OMUs in golden snub-nosed monkeys.
ISSN:0254-5853
DOI:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2018.043