A comparison of individual distinctiveness in three vocalizations of the dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula )

Ethology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janneke Rubow ◽  
Michael I. Cherry ◽  
Lynda L. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Individual Distinctiveness

Individual Recognition, Intragroup Cohesion and Intergroup Spacing: Evidence From Sound Playback To Forest Monkeys

Behaviour ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 60 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 28-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Waser
Keyword(s):  
Individual Recognition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Loud Calls ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Individual Distinctiveness ◽  
Black And White Colobus ◽  
Intergroup Spacing

AbstractThe contexts and functions of several loud mangabey vocalizations, particularly the "whoopgobble", were investigated observationally and experimentally. Whoopgobbles are notable for their audibility and distinctiveness over long distances, their temporal pattern of delivery, and particularly their stereotypy and individual distinctiveness. On the other hand, contexts of and responses to these vocalizations are variable and sometimes nonobvious. In order to control context and more systematically investigate response, an experimental method involving playback of recorded vocalizations was developed. Although precautions against habituation were necessary, mangabey responses to playbacks were clearcut and repeatable. Answering vocalizations, changes in group movement, and changes in the dispersion of individuals within a group occurred only in response to mangabey vocalizations. Whoopgobble playbacks provoked a pattern of response, including most notably the rapid approach of one adult male (the "RA" male) from each group, which was specific to this call. Playback of whoopgobbles between 100 and 600m from mangabey groups indicated that this call does transmit information regarding the identity of the vocalizing individual and group over these distances. Test groups moved away from neighboring- and unknown-group calls, but towards those of their own males - particularly those of RA males. RA males, on the other hand, do not approach calls of other males from their own groups. Within a group, whoopgobbles may thus increase cohesion and influence the direction of movements. Characteristics of whoopgobble form and context are discussed with regard to hypothesized functions of these and other forest monkey loud calls. Responses by free-ranging mangabeys to playback of the whoopgobble confirm its role in maintaining distance between groups. Response was found to be independent of group size, despite the fact that whoopgobble rate is closely related to this variable and thus could transmit such information. Since responses were also found to be independent of location within the home range, intergroup spacing among mangabeys appears not be be "territorial", site defense does not occur. Nevertheless, the central areas in at least some mangabey groups' home ranges were never penetrated by neighbors. Playback tests with black-and-white colobus and blue monkeys, among which territorial spacing has been reported, indicate that responses to loud calls have some degree of site-specificity among these species. But the mangabey pattern of intergroup spacing appears to result from a combination of low group density, site attachment within groups, and site-independent avoidance between groups. These results emphasize that spacing "system" and "pattern" are not necessarily equivalent; a given set of spacing behaviors can result in different spacing patterns under different ecological conditions, while a given pattern may be obtained by any of several behavioral means. Evidence for site-independent spacing in other primate species is discussed.

Individual Distinctiveness in Brown Bears, Ursus arctos L

Ethology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Fagen ◽  
Johanna M. Fagen
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Individual Distinctiveness

The imitation dilemma: can parrots maintain their vocal individuality when imitating conspecifics?

Behaviour ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 156 (5-8) ◽  
pp. 787-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi M. Thomsen ◽  
Thorsten J.S. Balsby ◽  
Torben Dabelsteen
Keyword(s):  
Social Systems ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Strong Basis ◽  
Vocal Individuality ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Vocal Imitation ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Individual Distinctiveness ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Many species of parrots live in fission–fusion social systems, characterised by frequent changes in flock composition. In these systems, the ability to selectively choose flock members is essential in order to maximise individual fitness. As a result, most species of parrots have individual distinctive contact calls that mediate the formation of groups during fission and fusion events. However, in vocal interactions during fission and fusion events, individuals will modify the fine-scale structure of their contact calls in a manner that sometimes will result in imitation of the contact calls of another individual, potentially altering or weakening the individual distinctiveness of contact calls. This presents parrots with an interesting dilemma. Here we present a study investigating the effect of vocal modification during interactions, including vocal imitation, on the individual distinctiveness and sex-specific differences of contact calls from ten captive bred peach-fronted conures (Eupsittula aurea). In order to determine if vocal individual- and sex distinctiveness persists in contact calls that are modified to that of another individual, we compared nine acoustic parameters from spontaneous (baseline) contact calls and contact calls emitted as response to a playback stimulus. Although modified, all acoustic parameters remained individually distinctive when the focal individuals interacted with the playback stimulus. These results provide a strong basis for discriminating between calls from different individuals across several social contexts, which could play an important role in mediating selective associations between individual peach-fronted conures during fission and fusion events.

Dawn song repertoires of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1084-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Horn
Keyword(s):  
Random Number ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Repertoire Size ◽  
Syllable Type ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Male Tree ◽  
Dawn Song ◽  
Individual Distinctiveness ◽  
Song Repertoires

I describe the dawn songs of 38 male tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) recorded at five sites near Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Males deliver dawn song each morning during the hour before dawn, while flying elliptical paths above their nest sites. These dawn songs consist of syllables approximately 0.15 s long, delivered every 1.5 s. Each male has a recorded repertoire of one to seven discrete syllable types (average 2.6) and may repeat each syllable type an apparently random number of times before switching to the next. Most syllables could be classified on the basis of their structure into seven types, with much variation among renditions by different males of any given syllable type. Three of these syllable types were very similar to call notes that have specific uses at other times of day. Syllable types were randomly distributed among males and sites. In this species neither syllable type, the number of times each type is repeated (string length), nor the number of types a male sings (repertoire size) appears to carry particular messages or advertise male quality. Instead, syllable types may provide individual distinctiveness and variety in song sequences.

The ontogeny of individuality in black-tailed prairie dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 1280-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Loughry ◽  
Andreas Lazari
Keyword(s):  
Time Allocation ◽  
Cynomys Ludovicianus ◽  
Prairie Dogs ◽  
Time Budgets ◽  
Contextual Influences ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Percent Correct ◽  
Allocation Patterns ◽  
Young Of The Year ◽  
Individual Distinctiveness

We examined the ontogeny of individual distinctiveness in time-allocation patterns of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). All adults and yearlings (n = 112) in the study colony were observed in 14 separate samples, beginning in early April and ending in mid-August. Pups (young of the year, n = 105) were observed in the last 11 of these samples, beginning with their first emergence above ground in late May to early June. Discriminability was determined using a Monte Carlo procedure that randomly selected data from 20 individuals; these data were then entered into a discriminant analysis and this procedure was repeated 100 times. The percent correct classification from these runs was averaged to produce a mean discriminability score. We found that (i) overall, individual pups were discriminable at levels three times higher than that expected by chance alone, (ii) pup discriminability declined significantly over the summer and yearlings had lower discriminability scores than did pups, (iii) average discriminability increased from yearlings to adults and adult values were significantly higher than those for pups, (iv) with the exception of mothers (who had the lowest discriminability values of any group tested), all sex and parental groups of older prairie dogs were significantly more discriminable than were pups, (v) distinctiveness among pups did not appear to be a result of differences between litters, and (vi) measures of behavioral bout lengths proved no better at discriminating individuals than time budgets. The results indicate that the ontogeny of individuality in prairie dog time budgets is not a simple linear function and that discriminability may be constrained by a number of contextual influences.

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