Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Loud calls as a mechanism of social coordination in a fission–fusion taxon, the white-bellied spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth)

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Spider monkeys (Ateles spp.) live in social groups that exhibit high levels of fission–fusion dynamics, in which group members form subgroups of varying sizes and compositions. Within these fluid societies, how individuals establish contact with dispersed group members with whom they might choose to associate remains unclear. Long-range vocalizations might facilitate interactions between group members and provide a means of social coordination in fission–fusion societies. We evaluated this possibility for one spider monkey vocalization, the loud call, by examining calling behavior, the relationship between loud calls and changes in subgroup size, and the response of individuals to distant calls and playback experiments in a single study group. We found that 82 % of loud calls were emitted within 30 min of a call from a different location, suggesting that individuals frequently emit loud calls in response to the calls of distant group members. Subgroups that emitted loud calls, especially those that responded to distant calls, were much more likely to experience an increase in subgroup size within an hour after calling than those that did not. Animals also approached distant loud calls more than they avoided or ignored these calls. Finally, playbacks of male calls demonstrated that females respond preferentially to the calls of some individuals over others. Taken together, these results provide support for the hypothesis that spider monkey loud calls function to facilitate and initiate interactions between dispersed group members and suggest that vocal signals can play an important role in influencing social interactions in fission–fusion societies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahumada J (1989) Behavior and social structure of free ranging spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) in La Macarena. Field Stud New World Monkeys, La Macarena, Colombia 2:7–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Archie EA, Morrison TA, Foley CAH, Moss CJ, Alberts SC (2006) Dominance rank relationships among wild female African elephants (Loxodonta africana). Anim Behav 71:117–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asensio N, Korstjens AH, Aureli F (2009) Fissioning minimizes ranging costs in spider monkeys: a multiple-level approach. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 63:649–659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aureli F, Schaffner CM, Verpooten J, Slater K, Ramos-Fernández G (2006) Raiding parties of male spider monkeys: insights into human warfare? Am J Phys Anthropol 131:486–497

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aureli F, Schaffner CM, Boesch C, Bearder SK, Call J, Chapman CA, Connor R, Di Fiore A, Dunbar RIM, Henzi SP, Holekamp K, Korstjens AH, Layton R, Lee P, Lehmann J, Manson JH, Ramos-Fernández G, Strier KB, van Schaik CP (2008) Fission–fusion dynamics: new research frameworks. Curr Anthropol 49:627–654

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bass M, Finer M, Jenkins CN et al (2010) Global conservation significance of Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park. PLoS One 5:e8767

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benson-Amram S, Heinen VK, Dryer SL, Holekamp KE (2011) Numerical assessment and individual call discrimination by wild spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta. Anim Behav 82:743–752

    Google Scholar 

  • Boesch C (1996) Social groupings in Tai chimpanzees. In: McGrew WC (ed) Great ape societies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 101–113

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Boinski S (1991) The coordination of spatial position: a field study of the vocal behavior of adult female squirrel monkeys. Anim Behav 41:89–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boinski S (1996) Vocal coordination of troop movement in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri oerstedi and S. sciureus) and white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus). In: Norconk M, Rosenberger AL, Garber PA (eds) Adaptive radiations of neotropical primates. Plenum, New York, pp 251–269

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Boinski S (2000) Social manipulation within and between troops mediates primate group movement. In: Boinski S, Garber P (eds) On the move: how and why animals travel in groups. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 421–469

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrne RW (1981a) Distance vocalizations of guinea baboons (Papio papio) in Senegal: an analysis of function. Behaviour 78:283–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne RW (1981b) Uses of long-range calls during ranging by Guinea baboons. In: Chiarelli AB, Corruccini RS (eds) Primate behavior and sociobiology. Springer, Berlin, pp 104–109

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell CJ (2004) Patterns of behavior across reproductive states of free-ranging female black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Am J Phys Anthropol 124:166–176

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell CJ (2006) Copulation in free-ranging black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Am J Primatol 68:507–511

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell CJ, Shideler SE, Todd HE, Lasley BL (2001) Fecal analysis of ovarian cycles in female black-handed spider monkeys. Am J Primatol 54:79–89

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cant JGH (1977) Ecology, locomotion, and social organization of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Dissertation, University of California at Davis

  • Chapman CA (1988) Patch use and patch depletion by the spider and howling monkeys of Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica. Behaviour 105:99–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman CA (1990a) Association patterns of spider monkeys: the influence of ecology and sex on social organization. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 26:409–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman CA (1990b) Ecological constraints on group size in three species of neotropical primates. Folia Primatol 55:1–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman CA, Lefebvre L (1990) Manipulating foraging group size: spider monkey food calls at fruiting trees. Anim Behav 39:891–896

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman CA, Weary DM (1990) Variability in spider monkey’s vocalizations may provide basis for individual recognition. Am J Primatol 22:279–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman CA, White FJ, Wrangham RW (1993) Defining subgroup size in fission–fusion societies. Folia Primatol 61:31–34

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman CA, Wrangham RW, Chapman LJ (1995) Ecological constraints on group size: an analysis of spider monkey and chimpanzee subgroups. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 36:59–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaverri G, Gillam EH, Vonhof MJ (2010) Social calls used by leaf-roosting bat to signal location. Biol Lett 6:441–444

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (1980) Vocal recognition in free-ranging vervet monkeys. Anim Behav 28:362–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (1982) Recognition of individuals within and between groups of free-ranging vervet monkeys. Am Zool 22:519–529

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (1988) Assessment of meaning and the detection of unreliable signals by vervet monkeys. Anim Behav 36:477–486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (1990) How monkeys see the world. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Chivers DJ, MacKinnon J (1977) On the behaviour of siamang after playback of their calls. Primates 18:943–948

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark AP, Wrangham RW (1993) Acoustic analysis of chimpanzee pant hoots: do chimpanzees have an acoustically distinct food arrival pant hoot? Am J Primatol 31:99–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark AP, Wrangham RW (1994) Chimpanzee arrival pant–hoots: do they signify food or status? Int J Primatol 15:185–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connor RC, Wells RS, Mann J, Read AJ (2000) The bottlenose dolphin, social relationships in a fission–fusion society. In: Mann J, Connor RC, Tyack PL, Whitehead H (eds) Cetacean societies: field studies of dolphins and whales. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 91–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Coscarella MA, Gowans S, Pedraza SN, Crespo EA (2011) Influence of body size and ranging patterns on delphinid sociality: associations among Commerson’s dolphins. J Mammal 92:544–551

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado RA (2003) The function of adult male long calls in wild orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). Dissertation, Duke University, North Carolina

  • Delgado R (2006) Sexual selection in the loud calls of male primates: signal content and function. Int J Primatol 27:5–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Fiore A (1997) Ecology and behavior of lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii, Atelinae) in Eastern Ecuador. Dissertation, University of California at Davis

  • Di Fiore A, Campbell CJ (2007) The atelines: variation in ecology, behavior, and social organization. In: Campbell CJ, Fuentes A, MacKinnon KC, Panger M, Beader SK (eds) Primates in perspective, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 155–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Di Fiore A, Rodman PS (2001) Time allocation patterns of lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) in a neotropical terra firma forest. Int J Primatol 22:449–480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Fiore A, Link AL, Schmitt CA, Spehar SN (2009) Dispersal patterns in sympatric woolly and spider monkeys: integrating molecular and observational data. Behaviour 146:437–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Fiore A, Link A, Campbell CJ (2011) The atelines: behavioral and socioecological diversity in a New World radiation. In: Campbell CJ, Fuentes A, MacKinnon KC, Panger M, Beader SK (eds) Primates in perspective, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 155–188

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg JF (1976) Communication mechanisms and social integration in the black spider monkey, Ateles fusciceps robustus, and related species. Smithson Contrib Zool 213:1–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer J, Kitchen DM, Seyfarth RM, Cheney DL (2004) Baboon loud calls advertise male quality: acoustic features and their relation to rank, age, and exhaustion. Behave Ecol Sociobiol 56:140–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furmankiewicz J, Ruczynski I, Urban R, Jones G (2011) Social calls provide tree-dwelling bats with information about the location of conspecifics at roosts. Ethology 117:480–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gautier JP, Gautier A (1977) Communication in old world monkeys. In: Sebeok TA (ed) How animals communicate. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, pp 890–964

  • Gibson KN (2010) Male mating tactics in spider monkeys: sneaking to compete. Am J Primatol 72:794–804

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall J (1986) The chimpanzees of gombe: patterns of behavior. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez-Lopez L, Mayagoita L, Esquivel-Lacroix C, Rojas-Maya S, Mondragon-Ceballos R (1998) The menstrual cycle of the spider monkey. Am J Phys Anthropol 44:183–195

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hinde RA (1976) Interactions, relationships and social structure. Man (New Series) 11:1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Hohmann G, Fruth B (1994) Structure and use of distance calls in wild bonobos (Pan paniscus). Int J Primatol 15:767–782

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hohmann G, Fruth B (1995) Long-distance calls in great apes: sex differences and social correlates. In: Zimmerman E, Newman JD, Jürgens U (eds) Current topics in primate vocal communication. Plenum, New York, pp 161–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerth G (2008) Causes and consequences of sociality in bats. BioScience 58:737–746

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerth G, König B (1999) Fission, fusion and nonrandom associations in female Bechstein’s bats (Myotis bechslcitiii). Behaviour 136:1187–1202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitchen DM, Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (2003a) Female baboons’ responses to male loud calls. Ethology 109:401–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitchen DM, Seyfarth RM, Fischer J, Cheney DL (2003b) Loud calls as an indicator of dominance in male baboons, Papio cynocephalus ursinus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 53:374–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein LL (1972) The ecology and social organization of the spider monkey, Ateles belzebuth. Dissertation, University of California at Berkeley

  • Kruuk H (1972) The spotted hyena: a study of predation and social behavior. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Lammers MO, Schotten M, Au WWL (2006) The spatial context of free-ranging Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) producing acoustic signals. J Acoust Soc Am 119:1244–1250

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langbauer WR, Payne KB, Charif RA, Rapaport L, Osborn F (1991) African elephants respond to distant playbacks of low-frequency conspecific calls. J Exp Biol 157:35–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Leighty KA, Soltis J, Wesolek CM, Savage A (2008) Rumble vocalizations mediate interpartner distance in African elephants, Loxodonta africana. Anim Behav 76:1601–1608

    Google Scholar 

  • McComb K, Reby D, Baker L, Moss C, Sayialel S (2003) Long-distance communication of acoustic cues to social identity in African elephants. Anim Behav 65:317–329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1984) The behavioral regulation of monogamy in gibbons (Hylobates muelleri). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 15:225–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1985a) Responses of gibbons (Hylobates muelleri) to self, neighbour, and stranger song duets. Int J Primatol 6:193–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1985b) Mating behavior of male orangutans in the Kutai Reserve, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Anim Behav 33:392–402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1985c) Sexual selection and adult male orangutan long calls. Anim Behav 33:272–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1990) Experimental field studies of Asian ape social systems. Int J Primatol 11:103–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani J, Nishida T (1993) Contexts and social correlates of long distance calling by male chimpanzees. Animal Behav 45:735–746

    Google Scholar 

  • Moss CJ, Poole JH (1983) Relationships and social structure of African elephants. In: Hinde RA (ed) Primate social relationships: an integrated approach. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, pp 315–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishida T (1968) The social group of wild chimpanzees in the Mahali Mountains. Primates 9:167–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Notman H, Rendall D (2005) Contextual variation in chimpanzee pant hoots and its implications for referential communication. Anim Behav 70:177–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parra GJ, Corkeron PJ, Arnold P (2011) Grouping and fission-fusion dynamics in Australian snubfin and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. Anim Behav 82:1423–1433

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitman NCA, Terborgh JW, Sliman MR, Nunez VP, Niell DA, Ceron CE, Palacios WA, Aulestia M (2002) A comparison of tree species diversity in two upper Amazonian forests. Ecology 83:3210–3224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prange S, Gehrt SD, Hauver S (2011) Frequency and duration of contacts between free-ranging raccoons: uncovering a hidden social system. J Mammal 92:1331–1342

    Google Scholar 

  • Raemaekers JJ, Raemaekers PM (1985a) Field playback of loud calls to gibbons (Hylobates lar): territorial, sex-specific and species-specific responses. Anim Behav 33:481–493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raemaekers PM, Raemaekers JJ (1985b) Long-range vocal interactions between groups of gibbons (Hylobates lar). Behaviour 95:26–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramos-Fernández G (2005) Vocal communication in a fission–fusion society: do spider monkeys stay in touch with close associates? Int J Primatol 26:1077–1092

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramos-Fernández G (2008) Communication in spider monkeys: the function and mechanisms underlying the use of the whinny. In: Campbell CJ (ed) Spider monkeys: behavior, ecology, and evolution of the genus Ateles. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 220–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramos-Fernández G, Boyer D, Aureli F, Vick LG (2009) Association networks in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 63:999–1013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramos-Fernández G, Pinacho-Guendulain B, Miranda-Pérez A, Boyer B (2011) No evidence of coordination between different subgroups in the fission–fusion society of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Int J Primatol 32:1367–1382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes M (2007) Roost fidelity and fission–fusion dynamics of white-striped free-tailed bats (Tadarida australis). J Mammal 88:1252–1260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson JG (1979) Vocal regulation of use of space by groups of titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 5:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson JG (1981) Vocal regulation of inter- and intra-group spacing during boundary encounters in the titi monkey, Callicebus moloch. Primates 22:161–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayigh L, Tyack P, Wells R, Solow A, Scott M (1999) Individual recognition in wild bottlenose dolphins: a field test using playback experiments. Anim Behav 57:41–50

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sekulic R (1982) The function of howling in red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus). Behaviour 81:38–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shimooka Y (2003) Seasonal variation in association patterns of wild spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth belzebuth) at La Macarena, Colombia. Primates 44:83–90

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shimooka Y (2005) Sexual differences in ranging of Ateles belzebuth belzebuth at La Macarena, Colombia. Int J Primatol 26:385–406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slater KY, Schaffner CM, Aureli F (2009) Sex differences in the social behavior of wild spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis). Am J Primatol 71:21–29

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JE, Memenis SK, Holekamp KE (2007) Rank-related partner choice in the fission–fusion society of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 61:753–765

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JE, Kolowski JM, Graham KE, Dawes SE, Holekamp KE (2008) Social and ecological determinants of fission–fusion dynamics in the spotted hyaena. Anim Behav 76:619–636

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snowdon CT (2004) Sexual selection and communication. In: Kappeler PM, van Schaik CP (eds) Sexual selection in primates: new and comparative perspectives. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 57–70

  • Spehar S (2006) The function of the long call in white-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Dissertation, New York University

  • Spehar SN, Link A, Di Fiore A (2010) Male and female range use in a group of white-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Am J Primatol 72:129–141

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steenbeek R, Assink PR (1998) Individual differences long-distance calls of male wild Thomas langurs (Presbytis thomasi). Folia Primatol 69:77–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steenbeek R, Assink P, Wich S (1999) Tenure related changes in the wild Thomas’s langurs II: loud calls. Behaviour 136:627–650

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suarez SA (2003) Spatio-temporal foraging skills of white-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth belzebuth) in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Dissertation, State University of New York, Stony Brook

  • Symington MM (1987) Ecological and social correlates of party size in the black spider monkey, Ateles paniscus chamek. Dissertation, Princeton University

  • Symington MM (1988) Food competition and foraging party size in the black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus chamek). Behaviour 105:117–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Symington MM (1990) Fission–fusion social organization in Ateles and Pan. Int J Primatol 11:47–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szykman M, Engh AL, Van Horn RC, Funk SM, Scribner KT, Holekamp KE (2001) Association patterns among male and female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) reflect male mate choice. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 50:231–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teixidor P, Byrne RW (1997) Can spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) discriminate vocalizations of familiar individuals and strangers? Folia Primatol 68:254–264

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Teixidor P, Byrne RW (1999) The ‘whinny’ of spider monkeys: individual recognition before situational meaning. Behaviour 136:279–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Roosmalen MGM (1985) Habitat preference, diet, feeding strategy and social organization of the black spider monkey in Surinam. Acta Amazonia 15:1–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahaj SA, Van Horn RC, Van Horn TL, Dreyer R, Hilgris R, Schwarz J, Holekamp KE (2004) Kin discrimination in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta): nepotism among siblings. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 56:237–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace RB (2008) Towing the party line: territoriality, risky boundaries, and male group size in spider monkey fission–fusion societies. Am J Primatol 70:271–281

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waser PM (1975) Experimental playbacks show vocal mediation of intergroup avoidance in a forest monkey. Nature 255:56–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waser PM (1977) Individual recognition, intragroup cohesion and intergroup spacing: evidence from sound playback to forest monkeys. Behaviour 60:28–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watts D, Mitani JC (2001) Boundary patrols and intergroup encounters in wild chimpanzees. Behaviour 138:299–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wich SA, de Vries H (2006) Male monkeys remember which group members have given alarm calls. Proc R Soc Lond B 273:735–740

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wich SA, Nunn CL (2002) Do male long-distance calls function in mate defense? A comparative study of long-distance calls in primates. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 52:474–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wich SA, Koski S, de Vries H, van Schaik CP (2003) Individual and contextual variation in Thomas langur male loud calls. Ethology 109:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson GS, Boughman JW (1998) Social calls coordinate foraging in greater spear-nosed bats. Anim Behav 55:337–350

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wiszniewski J, Brown C, Moller LM (2012) Complex patterns of male alliance formation in a dolphin social network. J Mammal 93:239–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittemyer G, Douglas-Hamilton I, Getz WM (2005) The socioecology of elephants: analysis of the processes creating multitiered social structures. Anim Behav 69:1357–1371

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Ministerio de Ambiente of the government of Ecuador for their continued support of the long-term primate research in Yasuní National Park. Logistical support for this study was provided by the Estación Cientifica Yasuní of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. We are also grateful to the Maxus Ecuador, Inc., Repsol-YPF, and the Waorani communities in the region for providing additional logistical support and permissions. We are indebted to Wampi Ahua, Dylan Schwindt, Seth Kolloen, and Paul Mathewson for providing invaluable assistance in collecting behavioral data in the field and to Wilmer Pozo, Larry Dew, Andres Link, and Scott Suarez for habituation and background behavioral work on the study group, which facilitated this research. Yukiko Shimooka and Gabriel Ramos-Fernández provided valuable and much appreciated comments and information on spider monkey loud calls in other study populations, and the constructive suggestions of the Associate Editor and two anonymous reviewers have greatly improved this manuscript. Financial support was provided by the National Science Foundation, the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, Primate Conservation, Inc., New York University, and the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology.

Ethical standards

All appropriate institutional permissions and ethical approvals were obtained for this research, and all research undertaken adhered to the relevant laws of the country in which it took place (Ecuador).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anthropology Program, Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh, WI, 54901, USA

    Stephanie N. Spehar

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, SAC Room 5.150, Mail Code C3200, Austin, TX, 78751, USA

    Anthony Di Fiore

Authors
  1. Stephanie N. Spehar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anthony Di Fiore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephanie N. Spehar.

Additional information

Communicated by C.L. Nunn

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOCX 551 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Spehar, S.N., Di Fiore, A. Loud calls as a mechanism of social coordination in a fission–fusion taxon, the white-bellied spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67, 947–961 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1520-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1520-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation