Influences on male-male interactions in Colobus vellerosus
Date
2018-01-24
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Abstract
I examined how male-male relationships in a wild colobine are influenced by the characteristics of the groups males reside in, and by the characteristics of co-resident males. I also examined whether males alter the rate at which they perform different aggressive behaviours when facing different classes of opponent. Between May and October 2016, I collected focal data on 14 adult Colobus vellerosus males residing in 3 multi-male groups at the Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana. I collected a mean of 15.06 focal hours per male, ranging from 2.65 to 18.77 hours. Males primarily interacted aggressively, spent little time in proximity, and rarely groomed one another or formed coalitions. Groups with a lower ratio of females to males had higher male-male aggression rates. The only factor that increased dyadic time spent in proximity was a history of parallel immigration into the group. Males performed agonistic displays at higher rates when interacting aggressively with newer co-resident males, and with extra-group males rather than co-residents. Males performed distance-reducing aggression at higher rates when interacting aggressively with newer co-resident males, and with co-residents rather than extra-group males. Male relationships in this species were as predicted for a species in which both uni- and multi-male groups occur: characterized by aggression, low affiliation, and avoidance. That males flexibly increased their use of agonistic displays in interactions with different classes of individuals suggests these behaviours are important in demonstrating a male’s quality to unfamiliar opponents.
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Keywords
male-male aggression, male primate relationships, male-male interactions, Colobus vellerosus
Citation
Larter, L. C. (2018) Influences on male-male interactions in Colobus vellerosus (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/5432