Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Guereza colobus monkeys join dawn chorus to 'show off'

Scientists have revealed some of the secrets of the loud, growling monkey dawn chorus in the forests of Uganda.

Guereza colobus monkeys appear to join the chorus to advertise their size and dominance.

The scientists managed, for the first time, to trigger a forest-wide chorus using a recording.

They reported their lastest insight into this early morning "wall of sound" in the journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology.

Anne Marijke Schel carried out the work at Budongo Conservation Field Station, Uganda, as part of her PhD project.

She and her colleague, Prof Klaus Zuberbuhler from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, wanted to find out why the monkeys took part in what they described as a "vocal spectacle".

"The behaviour usually starts before dawn by one individual calling somewhere in the forest," said Dr Zuberbuhler.


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