Abstract
During the course of a study of social relationships in wild, white-faced capuchins at Lomas Barbudal, Costa Rice (May 1990–May 1993), the alpha male was deposed by a subordinate male. The rank reversal was preceded by a decline in proximity maintenance by females to the alpha male, and an increase, in the amount of aggression directed toward the alpha male by the beta female and her female coalition partners. At the time of the rank reversal, females switched from giving thegargle vocalization exclusively to the old alpha male to gargling to the new alpha male; however, juveniles were less consistent with regard to which male they gargled to. At the time of the rank reversal, most adult females reduced the time spent in proximity and grooming with the old alpha male, and increased the time spent in proximity and grooming with the new alpha male. In contrast, juveniles' patterns of affiliation with males did not change in a predictable way following the reversal. The social strategies employed by capuchin monkeys during this rank reversal are compared with those of chimpanzees.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altmann, J. 1974. Observational study of behavior: sampling methods.Behaviour, 49: 227–267.
Bauchot, R. 1982. Brain organization and toxonomic relationships in Insectivora and Primates. In:Primate Brain Evolution,Armstrong E. (ed.) Plenum Press, New York, pp. 163–174.
Byrne, G.;Abbott, K. M.;Suomi, S.J. 1996. Reorganization of dominance rank among adult males in a captive group of tufted capuchins, (Cebus apella).Lab. Primate, Newsletter, 35: 1–5.
Byrne, R.;Whiten, A. (eds.) 1988.Machiavellian Intelligence: Social Expertise and the Evolution of Intellect in Monkeys, Apes, and Humans. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford.
Chapais, B. 1983. Structure of the birth season relationships among adult male and female rhesus monkeys. In:Primate Social Relationships,Hinde,R. A. (ed.) Blackwell Scientific Publ., Oxford, pp. 200–208.
Cheney, D. L.;Seyfarth, R. M. 1990.How Monkeys See the World, Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.
de Waal, F. B. M. 1978. Exploitative and familiarity-dependent support strategies in a colony of semi-free living chimpanzees.Behaviour 66: 268–312.
de Waal, F. B. M. 1982.Chimpanzee Politics. Harper & Row, New York.
de Wall, F. B. M. 1996. Birds of a feather: the social behavior of capuchins and chimpanzees. Paper presented at the joint International Primatological Society, American Society of Primatologists Congress, Madison, Wisconsin.
Fedigan, L. M. 1993. Sex differences and intersexual relations in adult white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus)Int. J. Primatol., 14: 853–877.
Fedigan, L. M.;Rose, L. M.;Morera Avila, R., 1997. See how they grow: tracking capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus) populations in a regenerating Costa Rican dry forest. In:Adaptive Radiations of Neotropical Primates,Norconk,M. A.;Rosenberger,A. L.;Garber,P. A. (eds.), Plenum Press, New York, pp. 289–308.
Frankie, G. W.;Vinston, S. B.;Newstrom, L. E.;Barthell, J. F. 1988 Nest site and habitat preference ofcentris bees in the Costa Rican dry forest.Biotropica, 20: 301–310.
Gibson, K. 1986. Cognition brain size and the extraction of embedded food resources. In:Primate Ontogeny, Cognition and Social Behaviour,Else,J. G.;Lee,P. C. (eds.) Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 93–104.
Hector, A. K.;Raleigh, M. J. 1992. The effects of temporary removal of the alpha male on the behavior of subordinate male vervet monkeys.Amer. J. Primatol. 26: 77–87.
Hinde, R. A.;Atkinson, S. 1970. Assessing the roles of social partners in maintaining mutual proximity as exemplified by mother-infant relations in rhesus monkeys.Anim. Behav. 18: 169–176.
Izawa, K. 1980. Social behavior of the wild black-capped capuchin (Cebus apella).Primates, 21: 443–467.
Janson, C. 1984. Female mate choice and mating system of the brown capuchin monkeyCebus apella (Primates: Cebidae).Z. Tierpsychol., 65: 177–200.
Janson, C. 1986. The mating system as a determinant of social evolution in capuchin monkeys (Cebus). In:Primate Ecology and Conservation,Else,J. G.;Lee,P. C. (eds.) Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 169–179.
Manson, J. H.;Perry, S.;Parish, A. R. 1997. Nonconceptive sexual behavior in bonobos and capuchins.Int. J Primatol., 18: 767–786.
Milton, K. 1988. Foraging behavior and the evolution of primate intelligence. In:Machiavellian Intelligence: Social Expertise and the Evolution of Intellect in Monkeys, Apes, and Humans,Byrne,R.;Whiten,A. (eds.) Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, pp. 285–305.
Nishida, T. 1983. Alpha status and agonistic alliance in wild, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii).Primates, 24:318–336.
Nishida, T.;Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, M. 1987. Chimpanzees, and bonobos: cooperative relationships among males. In:Primate Societies,Smuts,B. B.;Cheney,D. L.;Seyfarth,R. M.;Wrangham,R. W.;Struhsaker,T. T. (eds.), Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. 165–177.
Nishida, T. Hosaka, K. 1996. Coalition strategies among adult male chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania. In:Great Ape Societies,McGrew,W. C.;Marchant,L. F.;Nishida,T. (eds.), Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 114–134.
O'Brien, T. G. 1991. Female-male social interactions in wedge-capped capuchin monkeys: benefits and costs of group living.Anim. Behav., 41: 555–567.
Oppenheimer, J. G. 1973. Social and communicatory behavior in theCebus, monkey. In:Behavioral Regulators of Behavior in Primates,Carpenter,C. R. (ed.) Associated Univ. Press, Cranbury, New Jersey, pp. 251–271.
Perry, S. 1995a. Social relationships in wild white-faced capuchin monkeys,Cebus capucinus. Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Univ. Microfilms International.
Perry, S. 1995b. Patterns of coalitionary aggression in wild white-faced capuchin monkeys,Cebus capucinus.Amer. J. Primatol., 36: 147.
Perry, S. 1966a. Intergroup encounter in wild white-faced capuchins,Cebus capucinus.Int. J. Primatol., 17: 309–330.
Perry, S. 1996b. Female-female relationships in wild white-faced capuchin monkey,Cebus capucinus.Amer. J. Primatol., 40: 167–182.
Perry, S. 1997. Male-female relationships in wild white-faced capuchins,Cebus capucinus.Behaviour, 134: 477–510.
Ferry, S. in press. Male-male social relationships in wild white-faced capuchins,Cebus capucinus. Behaviour.
Raleigh, M. J.;McGuire, M. T. 1989. Female influences on male dominance acquisition in captive vervet monkeys,Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus.Anim. Behav., 38: 59–67.
Robinson, J. G. 1981. Spatial structure in foraging groups of wedge-capped capuchin monkeysCebus nigrivittatus.Anim Behav., 29: 1036–1056.
Robinson, J. G. 1988. Group size in wedge-capped capuchin monkeysCebus olivaceus and the reproductive success of males and females.Behav. Ecol Sociobiol. 23: 187–197.
Rose, L. 1994. Benefits and costs of resident males to females in white-faced capuchins,Cebus capucinus.Amer. J. Primatol., 32: 235–248.
Sade, D. S.;Altmann, M.;Loy, J.;Hausfater, G.;Breuggeman, J. A. 1988. Sociometrics ofMacaca mulatta: II. Decoupling centrality and dominance in rhesus monkey social networks.Amer. J. Phys. Anthropol. 77: 409–425.
Samuels, A.;Silk, J. B.;Rodman, P. S., 1984. Changes, in the dominance rank and reproductive behaviour of male bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata).Anim. Behav., 32: 994–1003.
Smuts, B. B. 1985.Sex and Friendship in Baboons. Aldine, New York.
Stephan, H.;Baron, G.;Frahm, H. D. 1988. Comparative size of brains and brain components. In:Comparative Primate Biology, Vol. 4,Steklis,H. D.;Erwin,J. (eds.) Liss, New York, pp. 1–39.
Visalberghi, E.;Limongelli, L. 1994. Lack of comprehension of cause-effect relations in tool-using capuchin monkeys (Cebus, apella).J. Comp. Psychol., 108: 15–22.
Westergaard, G. C.;Suomi, S. J. 1994. Hierarchical complexity of combinatorial manipulation in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).Amer. J. Primatol., 32: 171–176.
Wrangham, R. W.;Smuts, B. B. 1980. Sex differences in the behavioural ecology of chimpanzees in Gome National Park, Tanzania.J. Repr. Fertil. (Suppl.) 28: 13–31.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Perry, S. A case report of a male rank reversal in a group of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus). Primates 39, 51–70 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02557743
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02557743