Examining the behaviour of 15 groups of two types of tamarin monkeys living in the Brazilian Amazon, allowed Anglia Ruskin University scientists to make the discovery.
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Scientists examined the behaviour of 15 groups of two types of tamarin monkeys in the Brazilian Amazon.
Red-handed tamarins adopt the long calls used by pied tamarins when they enter their territory, according to the study.
Red-handed tamarins, which are found throughout the north-eastern Amazon region, have greater vocal flexibility and use calls more often than pied tamarins.
Red-handed tamarins adopt the long calls used by pied tamarins when they enter their territory, possibly to avoid conflict, a study suggests (Viviane Costa/PA)
Pied tamarins are critically endangered and have one of the smallest ranges of any primate in the world, much of it around the city of Manaus.
Red-Handed Monkeys Can Change Accent to Avoid Conflict! Published May 27th, 2021 - 08:01 GMT
Red-handed tamarin (Shutterstock)
Highlights
Scientists examined the behaviour of 15 groups of two types of tamarin monkeys in the Brazilian Amazon.
Red-handed tamarins, a species of monkey, is able to change its accent to avoid conflict when it enters the territory of another species, a study has revealed.
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Examining the behaviour of 15 groups of two types of tamarin monkeys living in the Brazilian Amazon allowed Anglia Ruskin University scientists to make the discovery.
They found that red handed-tamarins adopt the long calls used by pied tamarins when they enter their territory, and do so to avoid fights over territory and resources.
05-26-2021
By
Earth.com staff writer
Some primates can change their accent to avoid conflict with other groups, according to a new study. The researchers investigated the behavior of 15 groups of tamarins in the Brazilian Amazon, and found that one species adopts the calls of another species to improve communication in shared territory.
Focused on pied tamarins and red-handed tamarins, the study is the first to identify this behavior in primates.
Pied tamarins are critically endangered and have one of the smallest ranges of any primate in the world, while red-handed tamarins are found throughout the northeastern Amazon.
The study revealed that when groups of red-handed tamarins enter shared territory, they adopt the long calls used by the pied tamarins. The experts believe this behavior is used to avoid territorial disputes over resources.