Gestural Communication of Wild Bonnet Macaques in the Bandipur National Park, Southern India

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.1101/739441 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Shreejata Gupta ◽

Anindya Sinha

Keyword(s):

Comparative Studies ◽

National Park ◽

Great Apes ◽

Southern India ◽

Gestural Communication ◽

Human Language ◽

Macaca Radiata ◽

Bonnet Macaques ◽

In The Wild ◽

Gesture Studies

Nonhuman primate gestures are believed to be crucial evolutionary precursors of human language. Comparative studies on primate gestures in an evolutionary framework have, however, remained largely restricted to the great apes and the potential flexibility and richness of gestural communication in monkeys, especially in the wild, continue to be virtually unknown. In this paper, we followed several criteria, adapted from ape gesture studies, to identify gestures and evaluate their contexts of usage in the repertoire of wild bonnet macaques Macaca radiata in the Bandipur National Park of southern India. This report is the first of its kind to systematically identify gestures in any wild, non-ape species, thus providing a platform for comparative studies across primate taxa, particularly in our efforts to trace out the phylogenetic origins of language-like markers in the primate lineage, earlier than in the great apes.

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Gestural communication of wild bonnet macaques in the Bandipur National Park, Southern India

Behavioural Processes ◽

10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103956 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 168 ◽

pp. 103956 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shreejata Gupta ◽

Anindya Sinha

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Southern India ◽

Gestural Communication ◽

Bonnet Macaques

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Acquired mirroring and intentional communication in primates

Language and Cognition ◽

10.1515/langcog-2013-0008 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (2-3) ◽

pp. 133-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Klaus Zuberbühler

Keyword(s):

Mirror Neurons ◽

Language Evolution ◽

Mirror Neuron ◽

Great Apes ◽

Gestural Communication ◽

Human Language ◽

Social Variables ◽

Intentional Communication ◽

Vocal Behaviour ◽

The Brain

AbstractArbib offers a coherent proposal of how the brain has evolved to become language-capable. Integral to the argument are mirror neurons, cells discovered in macaque brains with interesting firing patterns, and studies on gestural communication of great apes. Here, I first discuss some complexities of the recent mirror neuron literature, which suggest that ‘mirroring’ may be an ontogenetically acquired, not an evolved, feature of neurons. Second, it is now clear that chimpanzee vocal behaviour is strongly mediated by social variables, and that individuals can use vocalisations to persuade and inform others, facts that have implications for gestural theories of language evolution. I conclude with discussing research most needed for making progress in understanding how human language has evolved.

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Symbolic Signal Use in Wild Chimpanzee Gestural Communication?: A Theoretical Framework

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Julia Cissewski ◽

Lydia V. Luncz

Keyword(s):

Great Apes ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Wild Chimpanzee ◽

Gestural Communication ◽

Laboratory Studies ◽

Laboratory Findings ◽

Symbolic Communication ◽

Key Characteristics ◽

In The Wild ◽

Signal Use

Symbolic communication is not obvious in the natural communicative repertoires of our closest living relatives, the great apes. However, great apes do show symbolic competencies in laboratory studies. This includes the understanding and the use of human-provided abstract symbols. Given this evidence for the underlying ability, the apparent failure to make use of it in the wild is puzzling. We provide a theoretical framework for identifying basic forms of symbolic signal use in chimpanzee natural communication. In line with the laboratory findings, we concentrate on the most promising domain to investigate, namely gesture, and we provide a case study in this area. We suggest that evidence for basic symbolic signal use would consist of the presence of two key characteristics of symbolic communication, namely arbitrariness and conventionalization. Arbitrariness means that the linkage between the form of the gesture and its meaning shows no obvious logical or otherwise motivated connection. Conventionalization means that the gesture is shared at the group-level and is thus socially learned, not innate. Further, we discuss the emergence and transmission of these gestures. Demonstrating this basic form of symbolic signal use would indicate that the symbolic capacities revealed by laboratory studies also find their expression in the natural gestural communication of our closest living relatives, even if only to a limited extent. This theoretical article thus aims to contribute to our understanding of the developmental origins of great ape gestures, and hence, arguably, of human symbolic communication. It also has a very practical aim in that by providing clear criteria and by pointing out potential candidates for symbolic communication, we give fieldworkers useful prerequisites for identifying and analyzing signals which may demonstrate the use of great apes’ symbolic capacities in the wild.

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Geophagy by the bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) of southern India: A preliminary analysis

Primates ◽

10.1007/bf02629624 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 327-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

J. Voros ◽

W. C. Mahaney ◽

M. W. Milner ◽

R. Krishnamani ◽

S. Aufreiter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preliminary Analysis ◽

Southern India ◽

Macaca Radiata ◽

Bonnet Macaques

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Drastic population decline and conservation prospects of roadside dark-bellied bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata radiata) of southern India

Primates ◽

10.1007/s10329-011-0234-x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 149-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Mewa Singh ◽

Joseph J. Erinjery ◽

Theethira S. Kavana ◽

Kuladeep Roy ◽

Mridula Singh

Keyword(s):

Population Decline ◽

Southern India ◽

Macaca Radiata ◽

Bonnet Macaques

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Mechanisms of production and comprehension in the gestural communication of non-human great apes

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e617242012-051 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Barry Smith

Keyword(s):

Great Apes ◽

Gestural Communication

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THE ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF CAPTIVE SUMATRAN ELEPHANT IN ELEPHANT TRAINING CENTER, WAY KAMBAS NATIONAL PARK FOR WILDLIFE GENETICS CONSERVATION

BIOVALENTIA Biological Research Journal ◽

10.24233/biov.6.1.2020.173 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elly Lestari Rustiati ◽

Priyambodo Priyambodo ◽

Yanti Yulianti ◽

Eko Agus Srihanto ◽

Dian Neli Pratiwi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

In Situ Conservation ◽

Training Center ◽

Conservation Effort ◽

In The Wild ◽

Wildlife Genetics ◽

Way Kambas National Park ◽

Human Conflict ◽

Essential Contribution

Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) is home of five protected big mammals including sumatran elephants. It shares its border with 22 of 37 villages surrounding the national park. Understanding their existence in the wild is a priority, and wildlife genetics is a crucially needed. Besides poaching and habitat fragmentation, wildlife-human conflict is one big issue. Elephant Training Center (ETC) in WKNP is built for semi in-situ conservation effort on captive sumatran elephants that mainly have conflict histories with local people. Participative observation and bio-molecular analysis were conducted to learn the importance of captive Sumatran elephant for conservation effort. Through captive sumatran elephants, database and applicable methods are expected to be developed supporting the conservation of their population in the wild. Participative observation and molecular identification was carried on captive sumatran elephants in ETC, WKNP under multiple year Terapan grant of Ministry of Research and Technology Higher Education, Indonesia. Gene sequence and cytological analyses showed that the captive sumatran elephants are closely related and tend to be domesticated. Translocation among ETC to avoid inbreeding, and maintaining the captive sumatran elephant as natural as possible are highly recommended. Developing genetic database can be a reference for both captive and wild sumatran elephants.

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Light or presence of host trees: which is more important for the strangler fig?

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467499001030 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 589-602 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Vidya R. Athreya

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

National Park ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Light Level ◽

Southern India ◽

Evergreen Forest ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Light Levels ◽

Host Trees ◽

Main Host

Strangler fig density varied considerably in the evergreen forest of Karian Shola National Park, southern India, with 11 individuals ha−1 in an open trail area and 5.6 individuals ha−1 within the primary forest area. The index of light level was assessed by estimating the percentage of upper canopy cover along the longitudinal centre of ten, 500-m × 20-m plots in each of the two areas of the evergreen forest. However, the increase in strangler fig density was not correlated to light levels but was significantly correlated to the numbers of their main host species in the two areas. In Karian Shola National Park, strangler figs occurred predominantly on a few host species with 20 and 50% of strangler figs growing on Vitex altissima, Diospyros bourdilloni and Eugenia/Syzygium spp. in the primary forest and trail areas respectively. Both young and established strangler figs were recorded mainly on larger individuals of their host trees indicating that older host trees are likely to be more suitable for the germination and establishment of strangler figs. The reason for the above could be the higher incidence of humus-filled and decaying regions in the older host trees which would provide an assured supply of nutrients for the establishing strangler fig.

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Predicting the Distribution of Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822) in Way Canguk Research Station, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung

Journal of Tropical Biodiversity and Biotechnology ◽

10.22146/jtbb.58612 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 58612

Author(s):

Silvi Dwi Anasari ◽

Wulan Pusparini ◽

Noviar Andayani

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Research Station ◽

Environment Variables ◽

Presence Data ◽

Manis Javanica ◽

In The Wild

The distribution of a species can help guide the protection activities in their natural habitat. Conversely, the lack of information on this distribution makes the protection strategy of this species difficult. The research was conducted in Way Canguk Research Station, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park from January until March 2018. The purposes of this research were to create a distribution prediction map of Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and estimating the environment variables that most influenced the probability of the distribution. Fourteen points of camera trap coordinates were used for presence data with nine types of environment variables such as elevation, slope, understorey, canopy cover, distance from roads, distance from rivers, distance from villages, food source, and distance from the threat. The result of maxent showed an Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.909 categorized as very good. The highest probability of Sunda pangolin distributions was in the Pemerihan Resort and Way Haru Resort area, while the dominant environmental variables included the distance from the village, the canopy cover, and the distance from threat with the value 47.7; 25.85; and 15.8%, respectively. Prediction maps and environment variables can help to identify the population of Sunda pangolin in the wild and can provide input for the national parks to prioritize protection areas for Sunda pangolin from the increased poaching.

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