A quick response, but not too much: Experienced mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus) lose interest in contact call exchanges that do not respect this "conversational rule".

Several non-human primate species engage in vocal exchanges of contact calls, throughout the day in peaceful contexts. These vocal exchanges have been compared to human conversations because vocalizations are uttered in turn-taking: a temporal pattern where interlocutors minimize silences and avoid overlaps. But observing such a pattern in the spontaneous production of a species, as is the case with red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus), is not enough to make it a rule.

Familiarity modulates both intra- and interspecific yawn contagion in red-capped mangabeys.

Yawn contagion (YC) is, compared to spontaneous yawning, an evolutionary recent phenomenon probably linked to behavioral synchronization in highly social species that is more likely when it involves familiar subjects. Here, we investigate for the first time in monkeys which factors modulate intra- and interspecific YC. Through an experimental approach, we exposed 17 red-capped mangabeys to video stimuli (Yawn vs Control) depicting familiar/unfamiliar red-capped mangabeys and humans, and unfamiliar hamadryas.

Red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus) adapt their interspecific gestural communication to the recipient's behaviour.

Sensitivity to recipient's attention and responsiveness are critical markers of intentional communication. Although previous research showed that ape gestures can be intentional, few studies have yet addressed this question concerning monkeys. Here, we characterise the effect of a recipient's presence, attentional state and responsiveness on the interspecific gestural communication of captive red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus).

Manual laterality and strategy use for a coordinated bimanual task requiring precise and power grip in guenons and mangabeys.

Bimanual tasks have been repeatedly shown to elicit manual asymmetries supposed to reflect hemispheric specialization. And yet, a coordinated bimanual task, the BOX task, appears to be inefficient in detecting biases of hand preferences. The BOX task involves two sequential actions requiring a precise grip, lift the lid of a box and grasp a small item inside the box (while holding the lid).

Which are the features of the TUBE task that make it so efficient in detecting manual asymmetries? An investigation in two Cercopithecine species (Cercopithecus neglectus and Cercocebus torquatus).

In the last decade, the TUBE task has been repeatedly shown to be highly efficient in detecting manual asymmetries that are strong hand preferences reflecting hemispheric specialization, in non human primates. The TUBE task was thus classified as a high-level task, presumably because it involves bimanual coordination. However, this task also requires a precise action made by digit(s), which may also be a crucial feature in eliciting manual asymmetries.

Cross-taxa similarities in affect-induced changes of vocal behavior and voice in arboreal monkeys.

Measuring the affective state of an individual across species with comparable non-invasive methods is a current challenge in animal communication research. This study aims to explore to which extent affect intensity is conveyed in the vocal behaviours of three nonhuman primate species (Campbell's monkeys, De Brazza's monkeys, red-capped mangabeys), which vary in body size, ecological niche and social system. Similarly in the three species, we experimentally induced a change in captive social groups' affect by locking all group members together in their outside enclosure.