Blog 4: Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys

 Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys

Blog 4 by Olivia Isetts-Williams

Figure 1: Two Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys hug (Trolle, 2019)

Communication

Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys are notable for their ventriloquial vocal communication. This means that, as a result of their large nostrils, they can convey vocalizations without any visual indicators. Amongst both wild and captive Snub-Nosed primates, their vocalizations consist of shrills, bawls, chucks, whines, and grunts.

While eighteen different vocalizations have been noted amongst the species in the wild, the majority of Golden Snub-Nosed monkey communicatory calls can be divided into six generalized categories. Of these include (Ren et al. 2000 as cited in Gron, 2007):
  • Amazement calls occur when Snub-Noses meet other animals.
  • Alarm calls occur when approached by strangers. These present themselves as one of five types:
    • Astonishing calls
    • Light alarm calls
    • Alarm calls
    • Frightened alarm calls
    • Directional alarm calls
  • Warning calls are used to threaten lower ranking primates.
  • Peaceful calls occur amidst moving, playing, eating, and resting.
  • Contacting calls occur when units coalesce into larger groups or when meeting strangers.
This wide variety within their vocal repertoire complements the complex multilevel societies of these primates, which are notable for their polygynous and fluid fission-fusion dynamics.
These vocalizations differ based on sex, influenced by the large variation in sexual dimorphism affecting vocal tracts (Fan et al. 2018). Despite their smaller stature, females have been observed to emit more diverse calls than males. This may be attributed to their abundance and social role within the one-male multi-female units. The female-dominated maintenance of these groups creates an environment where the bulk of social interactions occur among this majority. 
Vocal signaling is the primary mode of communication for Snub-Nosed monkeys to suit the demands of their low-visibility habitats and complex multilevel societies (Fan et al. 2018). 

Social Abilities

Through their complex units of up to 600 individuals, Snub-Nosed monkeys have a strong sense of sociality between members of their band and overarching species. Alliances can be defined simply by one-male, multi-female units (OMU) and all-male units (AMUs), with exceptions due to the pressures of harem units amongst the males. Their social abilities can be observed through interactions between one another, conveyed primarily through tactile and vocal expressions of communication and emotion.

As for tactile communication, grooming (Figure 2) is noted in Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys primarily within the same social unit, with a 92.4% likelihood in comparison to cross-group grooming (Zhang et al. 2006 as cited in Gron, 2007). These grooming behaviours vary in frequency depending on the circumstances in which they occur. For example, in spite of grooming primarily being motivated by hygiene, intense and rapid grooming has been noted to occur as a manner of reconciliation following conflict between in-troop individuals.

Figure 2: A Golden Snub-Nosed monkey being groomed by another (Getty Images)

Aggression is typically incited by growing tensions amidst mating months within AMUs and during male takeovers of OMUs, which is expressed through tactile actions including threats, chases, and physical attacks such as hitting and biting. Beyond grooming as a form of reconciliation, Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys have also been observed to embrace one another (Figure 1), particularly within bonding family units (Gron, 2007), or crouch as a signifier of submission between males in AMUs following warning calls and threats.

Cognitive Abilities

The nature of belonging to fission-fusion groups lends to a degree of social intelligence. Large units of Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys are divided into subgroups, which are further divided into family units and harems amidst colder seasons that render high quality foods to be scarce; as fruiting recommences in the spring, these smaller groups are capable of reforming with their original bands. This implies capability to remember and recognize members from their units, and distinguish them from strangers.

Above all else, these primates have strong concepts of emotional intelligence. Beyond the existence of their family units, Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys are one of the many primates who have been observed to grieve for their kin (Figure 3).

Figure 3: A mother stands over the body of her deceased infant (People’s Daily, China, 2016)

Mother-Infant bonds are some of the strongest amongst primates, and carrying offspring post-mortem is a sign of reproductive investment—an action done in spite of its lack of incurred fitness (Dong et al. 2016). In Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys, mothers act nervous and upset following the death of infants. They have, on numerous occasions, been observed to call, groom, smell, hold, and carry their offspring for varying lengths of time depending on how soon the female may be prepared to conceive again (Dong et al. 2016). These are all signs that lend to emotional responses; to some degree, understanding concepts of death and loss, and attempts at emotional regulation following the loss of kin.

Misconceptions of these primates’ cognition stem from the folivorous trait of low inhibitory control (Tan, 2013). Low inhibitions refers to the Snub-Nosed monkeys’ lack of restraint from feeding, which is allowable due to the abundance of lichen year-round; despite the harsh conditions and infrequent access to high quality foods such as fruit, the widespread presence of fallback foods diminishes pressures of food competition or the presence learned habits to covet food. 

While Golden Snub-Nosed monkeys are by no means one of the great apes and fail to incorporate tool-use into their stratagem, they function within complex, sizable systems and show great care for their kin amidst their rather illusive existences along the Tibetan Plateau. 



References

Dong, Xiaoguang, Jiashen, Yongle, Kaichuang, Cunlao, & Baoguo. (2016). Carrying of dead infants by Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in the Qinling Mountains. ACTA Theriologica Sinica, 36(2), 177–183. https://doi.org/10.16829/j.slxb.201602006  

Fan, P., Liu, X., Liu, R., Li, F., Huang, T., Wu, F., Yao, H., & Liu, D. (2018). Vocal repertoire of free‐ranging adult golden snub‐nosed monkeys (rhinopithecus roxellana). American Journal of Primatology, 80(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22869  

CU golden snub-nosed monkeys grooming each other / China. Getty Images. (n.d.). https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/golden-snub-nosed-monkeys-grooming-each-other-stock-footage/1369390710 

Gron, K. (2007, November 20). Golden snub-nosed monkey. Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. https://primate.wisc.edu/primate-info-net/pin-factsheets/pin-factsheet-golden-snub-nosed-monkey/

People’s Daily, China. Facebook. (2016, June 29). https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Z2w4YSEb4/ 

Tan, J., Tao, R., & Su, Y. (2013). Testing the cognition of the forgotten colobines: A first look at Golden Snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus Roxellana). International Journal of Primatology, 35(2), 376–393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-013-9741-5 

Trolle, M. (2019, December 12). Hug to Survive. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5--DfFA-OA/?igsh=MWUyczExeHJ6Nm04Yw 

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