Evidence that displacement activities facilitate behavioural transitions in ring-tailed lemurs
Displacement activities are behavioural patterns defined by their apparent irrelevance to an animal’s ongoing actions. Despite being identified in diverse taxa, their function remains poorly understood. One hypothesis posits that displacement activities facilitate transitions between different behaviours by mediating changes in animals’ motivational state. Under this hypothesis, it is predicted that displace-ment activities will occur […]
Phylogenetic Separation in Limb Use in Captive Gibbons (Hylobatidae): A Comparison Across the Primate Order
Although there have been few studies of self-scratching in primates, some have reported distinct differences in whether hands or feet are used, and these variations seem to reflect the evolutionary history of the Order. Monkeys and prosimians use both hands and feet to self-scratch while African great apes use hands almost exclusively. Gibbons represent an […]
Grooming increases self-directed behaviour in wild Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus
Allogrooming has hygienic and social functions. Moreover, anxiety is thought to be reduced in the first few minutes after a grooming interaction is terminated. Few data exist on postgrooming reduction in anxiety, and mostly concern the recipient of grooming and captive animals. We analysed whether anxiety is reduced after grooming and whether this reduction differs […]