Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Targets, tactics, and the open mouth face during play fighting in three species of primates

1997; Wiley; Volume: 23; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/(sici)1098-2337(1997)23

1098-2337

Sergio M. Pellis, Vivien C. Pellis,

Animal Behavior and Reproduction

Aggressive BehaviorVolume 23, Issue 1 p. 41-57 Research Article Targets, tactics, and the open mouth face during play fighting in three species of primates Sergio M. Pellis, Corresponding Author Sergio M. Pellis Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, CanadaDepartment of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorVivien C. Pellis, Vivien C. Pellis Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author Sergio M. Pellis, Corresponding Author Sergio M. Pellis Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, CanadaDepartment of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorVivien C. Pellis, Vivien C. Pellis Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 06 December 1998 https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(1997)23:1 3.0.CO;2-WCitations: 42AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract The play fighting of many mammals involves the nonserious use of behavior patterns derived from serious fighting. A major question of theoretical importance has been that of how, given this overlap in patterns of behavior, the animals can distinguish between playful and nonplayful intent. One proposed solution is that animals use play signals to inform each other about the playful intent of their actions. The most widely reported play signal amongst primates is the open mouth play face. The manner in which this so-called signal functions is based on correlational evidence, with most reports simply noting its presence or absence in a given species. This study involved a detailed video-based analysis of the occurrence of open mouths during the play fighting of three species of primates. One captive troop each of ring-tailed lemurs, black-handed spider monkeys, and patas monkeys was used. By examining all open mouths in the context of the species-typical style of play fighting, several conclusions were empirically verified. 1) Most open mouths occur as a functionally necessary precursor for biting. 2) Some open mouths occur as a defensive threat which deters further contact. 3) The residual open mouths which may function as contact promoting play signals, constituted about 20–25% of all open mouths by the lemurs and patas monkeys, but less than 5% for spider monkeys. These species differences appeared to arise from two causes. Firstly, the spider monkeys used another signal, the head shake, in situations where lemurs and patas monkeys used open mouths. Secondly, the style of play fighting greatly influenced the frequency and duration of open mouths. This was most marked in the face-to-face combat style of patas monkeys. These findings show that comparative studies of the occurrence and function of play signals need to take into account species-typical styles of playful combat. Aggr. Behav. 23:41–57, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc. References Aldis, O (1975): " Play Fighting." New York: Academic Press. Altmann, J (1974): Observational study of behaviour: Sampling methods. Behaviour 49: 227–267. Andrew, RJ (1963): The origin and evolution of the calls and facial expressions of the primates. Behaviour 20: 1–109. Bekoff, M (1974): Social play and play-soliciting in infant canids. American Zoologist 14: 323–340. Bekoff, M (1975): The communication of play intention: Are play signals functional? Semiotica 15: 231–239. Bekoff, M (1995): Play signals as punctuation: The structure of social play in canids. Behaviour 132: 419–429. Blanchard, RJ, Blanchard, DC (1994): Environmental targets and sensorimotor systems in aggression and defense. In SJ Cooper, CA Hendrie (eds): " Ethology and Psychopharmacology." New York: John Wiley and Sons. Ltd., pp 133–157. Bolwig, N (1963): Bringing up a young monkey (Erythrocebus patas). Behaviour 21: 300–330. Bolwig, N (1964): Facial expression in primates with remarks on a parallel development in certain carnivores (a preliminary report on work in progress). Behaviour 22: 167–192. Chevalier-Skolnikoff, S (1974): The primate play face: Apossible key to the determinants and evolution of play. Rice University Studies 60: 9–29. Crockett, CM, Pope, T (1988): Inferring patterns of aggression from red howler monkey injuries. American Journal of Primatology 15: 289–308. Eisenberg, JF (1976): Communication mechanisms and social integration in the black spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps robustus), and related species. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 213: 1–108. Eisenberg, JF, Kuehn, RE (1966): The behavior of Ateles geoffroyi and related species. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 151: 1–63 (and plates). Fagen, R (1981): " Animal Play Behavior." New York: Oxford University. Fischer, RB, Nadler, RD (1978): Affiliative, playful and homosexual interactions of adult lowland gorillas. Primates 19: 657–664. Geist, V (1981): Behavior: Adaptive Strategies in Mule Deer. In OC Wallmo (ed): " Mule and Black-Tailed Deer of North America." Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, pp 157–223. Gould, L (1990): The social development of free-ranging infant Lemur catta at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar. International Journal of Primatology 11: 297–318. Hall, KRL, Boelkins, RC, Goswll, MJ (1965): Behaviour of patas monkeys, Erythrocebus patas in captivity, with notes on their natural habitat. Folia Primatologica 3: 22–49. Hayaki, H (1985): Social play of juvenile and adolescent chimpanzees in the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania. Primates 26: 343–360. Jolly, A (1966): " Lemur Behavior." Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Klein, LL (1974): Agonistic behavior in neotropical primates. In RL Holloway (ed): " Primate Aggression, Territoriality, and Xenophobia. A Comparative Perspective." New York: Academic Press, pp 77–122. LeResche, LA (1976): Dyadic play in Hamadryas baboons. Behaviour 57: 190–205. Maple, T, Zucker, EL (1978): Ethological studies of play behavior in captive great apes. In EO Smith (ed): " Social Play in Primates." New York: Academic Press. Miller, S (1973): Ends, means and galumphing: Some leitmotifs of play. American Anthropologist 75: 87–98. Oppenheimer, JR (1977): Communication in New World Monkeys. In TA Sebeok (ed): " How Animals Communicate." Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, pp 851–889. Parquette, D (1994): Fighting and play fighting in captive adolescent chimpanzees. Aggressive Behavior 20: 49–65. Pellis, SM (1981): A description of social play by the Australian magpie Gymnorhina tibicen based on Eshkol-Wachman movement notation. Bird Behaviour 3: 61–79. Pellis, SM (1984): Two aspects of play-fighting in a captive group of oriental small-clawed otters Amblonyx cinerea. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 65: 77–83. Pellis, SM (1988): Agonistic versus amicable targets of attack and defense: Consequences for origin, function and descriptive classification of play fighting. Aggressive Behavior 14: 85–104. Pellis, SM (1989): Fighting: The problem of selecting appropriate behavior patterns. In RJ Blanchard, PF Brain, DC Blanchard, S Parmigiani (eds): " Ethoexperimental Approaches to the Study of Behavior." Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp 361–374. Pellis, SM (1993): Sex and the evolution of play fighting: A review and model based on the behavior of muroid rodents. The Journal of Play Theory and Research 1: 55–75. Pellis, SM (1996): Targets and tactics: The analysis of moment-to-moment decision making in animal combat. Aggressive Behavior, in press. Pellis, SM, Pellis, VC (1996): On knowing it's only play: The role of play signals in play fighting. Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review Journal 1: 249–268. Pellis, SM, Pellis, VC, Dewsbury, DA (1989): Different levels of complexity in the play-fighting by muroid rodents appear to result from different levels of intensity of attack and defense. Aggressive Behavior 15: 297–310. Pellis, SM, Pellis, VC, McKenna, MM (1993): Some subordinates are more equal than others: Play fighting amongst adult subordinate male rats. Aggressive Behavior 19: 385–393. Poole, T. B. (1978): An analysis of social play in polecats ( Mustelidae ) with comments on the form and evolutionary history of the open mouth play face. Animal Behaviour 26: 36–49. Redican, WK (1975): Facial expressions in nonhuman primates. In LA Rosenblum (ed): " Primate Behavior, Vol 4: Developments in Field and Laboratory Research." London: Academic Press, pp 104–194. Schwartzman, HB (1979): " Transformations: The Anthropology of Children's Play." New York: Plenum Press. Smith, PK (1982): Does play matter? Functional and evolutionary aspects of animal and human play. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 5: 139–184. Sussman, RW (1974): Ecological distinctions in sympatric species of Lemur. In RD Martin, GA Dlyle, AC Walker (eds): " Prosimian Biology." London: Duckworth, pp 75–108. Symons, D (1978): " Play and Aggression: A Study of Rhesus Monkeys." New York: Columbia University Press. Van Hoof, JARAM (1967): The facial displays of the catarrhine monkeys and apes. In D Morris (ed): " Primate Ethology. Essays on the Sociosexual Behavior of Apes and Monkeys." New York: Anchor Books. Weigel, RM (1979): The facial expressions of the brown capuchin monkey ( Cebus apella ). Behaviour 68: 250–276. Citing Literature Volume23, Issue11997Pages 41-57 ReferencesRelatedInformation