Blog 4: Communication, Social Behaviors, & Cognitive Abilities



Explore the communication methods, social behaviors, and cognitive skills of the species.

Tirra Shawcroft

April 13, 2025

 The De Brazza's Monkey | Critter Science

Figure 1: “The De Brazza’s Monkey.” Critter Science, https://critter.science/the-de-brazzas-monkey/.

De Brazza's Monkey — Destination Uganda Travelers

Figure 2: “De Brazza’s Monkey.” Destination Uganda, https://destinationuganda.com/animals/de-brazzas-monkey/.


1. Communication:

De Bazza's monkeys use a variety of communication methods, including visual, vocal, auditory, and tactile communication. These communication methods are essential for maintaining group organization by expressing dominant rankings and calling out dangers threatening the group.  Vocal calls include grunting, crackling, or deep "booming" calls that alarm the group to imminent danger or threaten territorial action (New England Primate Conservation, 2021).

Along with the vocal calls, tactile communication, such as shaking or swinging branches, is a form of intimidation used to communicate to surrounding individuals and rival males looking to overthrow a group (Animal Diversity Web, 2025). Grooming is another tactile communication method that is used to reinforce the social bonds of individuals within the group. This strengthens social ranking and non-verbal communication amongst individuals who are accepted and who are not.

    In De Brazza’s monkeys’ lives, so much can be communicated through visual non-verbal cues. Behaviors such as staring (with or without mouth and tongue out), bobbing of the head, head shaking, and yawning (New England Primate Conservation, 2021) are used to display anger, frustration, displeasure, or even a challenge to the recipient. Figures 1 and 2 both exhibit the De Brazza’s monkeys' varying facial expressions. Both show an intimidation method, which is to intimidate recipients into submission.

These cues are important in keeping individuals safe, upholding social rankings and organization, and expressing emotions without drawing predators or unwanted attention despite being diurnal animals. 


2. Social Behaviors:

De Brazza's monkeys are commonly a part of groups ranging from 4 to 35 individuals that consist of Polygynous relations (one male with multiple females) (New England Primate Conservation, 2021). This matting pattern sets the dynamic for the whole group, including the young. Common for all young animals, they learn extensive knowledge from their parent. In this species, it is common for young males to spend much of their time imitating adults, specifically the alpha male. This imitation is where young males learn to develop their dominance and independence, which is essential to learn before they must leave the group. On the contrary, young females will stay with their natal groups and continue learning from their mothers and other individuals around them (Chapman, 2018). Through socialization, individuals are able to learn the social skills necessary for life. Social interactions allow the transmission of information like food location, danger calls, and important emotions. 


3. Cognitive Abilities:

    Despite there being little information about De Brazza's monkeys due to their shy, hidden nature, we can still determine their cognitive abilities through their social nature. Due to De Brazza’s monkeys' social structure, one male multifemale hierarchy, they require more than innate behaviors; they have to learn, memorize, and adapt to their environment. Large social groups create a web of complex relationships that individuals have to recognize. Their understanding of where they lay within the group's rank, as well as adapting their behavior to ensure an appropriate response, shows they have a high level of cognition. 

     A study done by Candiotti (2013) to assess De Brazza's Monkeys' ability to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar communication shows that they are able to distinguish familiar from unfamiliar voices. De Brazza’s monkeys showed they were also able to distinguish alarm calls from different species. Their recognition skills show that they were able to learn from each other and their environment to better adapt and understand their surroundings.


Visual Aids:


De Brazza's Monkey's Social - Check out this video to watch De Brazza's Monkeys' social interactions!



Recources

Candiotti, Agnès, et al. “Voice Discrimination in Four Primates.” Behavioural Processes, vol. 99, 2013, pp. 67–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2013.06.010.

“DeBrazza’s Monkey, Cercopithecus Neglectus | New England Primate Conservancy.” New England Primate Conservancy, 17 Nov. 2021, https://neprimateconservancy.org/debrazzas-monkey/.

“De Brazza’s Monkey.” YouTube, uploaded by ApesLikeUs, [13 May 2022], https://youtu.be/nrvqMBPg4qw?si=vhZjp-P_wIaeA43i.

“De Brazza’s Monkey.” Destination Uganda, https://destinationuganda.com/animals/de-brazzas-monkey/.

Hartley, Matt, and Mel Chapman, editors. EAZA Best Practice Guidelines: De Brazza Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus). European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, 2018, https://strapi.eaza.net/uploads/201807_BPG_De_Brazza_monkey_NV_30c832fa3f.pdf. 

Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. The Animal Diversity Web. 2025, https://animaldiversity.org.

“The De Brazza’s Monkey.” Critter Science, https://critter.science/the-de-brazzas-monkey/.

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