Publications by authors named "Edward McLester"

Vocalizations differ substantially between the sexes in many primates, and low-frequency male vocalizations may be favored by sexual selection because they intimidate rivals and/or attract mates. Sexual dimorphism in fundamental frequency may be more pronounced in species with more intense male mating competition and in those with large group size, where social knowledge is limited and efficient judgment of potential mates and competitors is crucial. These non-mutually exclusive explanations have not been tested simultaneously across primate species.

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Primate ranging behavior is associated with numerous social and ecological correlates. Interspecific comparisons of ranging behavior can therefore provide insight into the socio-ecological conditions that characterize a species' niche within its community. We provide the first description of ranging behavior in golden-bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus chrysogaster), using sympatric bonobos (Pan paniscus) as a comparison.

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Interactions between monkeys and birds are rarely observed and, consequently, rarely described in the scientific literature. We recorded two encounters between birds (Prionops plumatus and Strix woodfordii) and red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) in a woodland-mosaic habitat in western Tanzania. We observed a male red-tailed monkey consume a small bird in its entirety.

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Objectives: Primates that live in predominantly forested habitats and open, savanna mosaics should exhibit behavioral responses to differing food distributions and weather. We compared ecological constraints on red-tailed monkey ranging behavior in forest and savanna mosaic environments. Intraspecific variation in adaptations to these conditions may reflect similar pressures faced by hominins during the Plio-Pleistocene.

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Predation is predicted to be an important selection pressure for primates. Evidence for this hypothesis is rare, however, due to the scarcity of direct observations of primate predation. We describe an observation of leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on a red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) at the Issa Valley, a savanna-woodland mosaic landscape in western Tanzania.

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